Obama's turning point?

If Barack Obama wins the White House in November, we may well look back on this week as the turning point when he started to ease lingering doubts about his readiness to lead America. American voters have seen a stream of images from Europe and the Middle East showing a confident Obama looking every bit like a head of state while mingling with international leaders.

"He couldn't have had a better week, at least according to the press coverage. If there's a negative, I don't see it," acknowledged David Johnson, a Republican consultant and member of John McCain's Florida steering committee. "He had a hole in his resume that he needed to fill, but only time will tell how well this plays out."

More here.

Comments

[Who's got your backrub, Germany?]

No wonder the Germans favor Obama over the sexist McSame and the GOP:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPArZwLHi2Y

[THE BUSH STOPS HERE!]

The Germans are very concerned that the United States might make the same mistake they did, back in the 30's. They've had experience with totalitarian regimes and so they should know. End the reign of the Bush Dynasty. No more McSame.

This is our moment.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/12036.html

Vote for Obama in November
http://www.barackobama.com

[Citizen of the World]

You gotta be kidding. Hitler recieved German cheers too. Who cares?

God, did you just compare Obama to Hitler?

[George Bush]

10:23 Are you asking me?

[Ron]

10:23,
What are you so surprised about? The left has been comparing Bush to Hitler for 8 years.

OBAMA 2008
SI, SE PUEDE!

Bush can be compared to any number of idiots that existed throughout history… including the leader of the caveman clan who thought it would be cool to pet the big green lizard!

[Merkel]

10:27,
What are you so surprised about? Bush has been comparing himself to God for 8 years.

Obama on the world stages shows just what Americans believe he is not ready for prime time when it comes to foreign policy. He has received no bump from his visit in fact voters believe he looks less and less like a commander in chief.

Citizen of the World: I can't believe that any sentient human being would compare the potential next leader of the free world -- whether he be Republican or Democrat -- to one of the worst tyrants in human history.

I say to the Times, who apparently doesn't monitor these comments: the comments left by Citizen of the World at 10:23 AM constitute inappropriate comments as outlined by your comment policy.

As a statement that makes a false claim, expressively stated or implied to be factual, that may give an individual, business, product, group, government or nation a negative image, the statement is libelous.

It is certainly abusive.

It is vulgar. It is offensive. If this is in question, why not put it to any Jewish retiree here in Florida who survived the Holocaust.

It's obviously inaccurate.

This comments meets five of the nine criteria you lay out. I suggest you remove it from the list.

Did he apologize for saying our votes shouldn't count because he decided not to campaign for them. By his principle, foreign governments that he did not work for have no more right to exist than our votes have to count.

[Keep the Comment]

An inappropriate comment about Obama is defined as: One which the Obamabots do not agree with and should be "erased" from memory. Sounds a lot like Germany under Hitler to me!!!!

[Lose the Comment... and the Commenter.]

It's not the "Obamabots," moron, it's the St. Pete Times guidelines that the commenter laid out.

Lose the comment. You can't compare the guy to Hitler.

The comment should stay so long as it continues to serve those who truly aspire to Hitler’s ideologies… the GOP.

[United For Obama]

10:51: "Did he apologize for saying our votes shouldn't count because he decided not to campaign for them."

Obama never said the votes shouldn't count. The DNC rules -- agreed to by the major candidates in the race -- said that. If anyone should apologize for votes "not counting" -- which they do -- it's the Republican-led legislature.

Floridians: when will you hold Republicans accountable for stealing your vote?

Vote Democratic in November.

"By his principle, foreign governments that he did not work for have no more right to exist than our votes have to count."

That really is the most ignorant statement I've read in a very, very long time.

Almost as stupid as the Hitler comment.

10:45

Your panties are in a wad, in case you didn't notice.

[10:45]

Not my panties, 11:00 -- just citing the facts that are right off to the left of your screen, there.

All I'm saying is that comparing Barack Obama -- an American leader, whether you like him or not -- to Adolph Hitler is wrong as set forth in the St. Petersburg Times guidelines.

Obama is great with a script but did you see his one-on-one interviews? Wooooh! He was awful! Must be nice to go overseas and have the press give you all that free campaign air time!

Since I was censored on the main Adam Smith article I will post my comment here:

I think I'm going to puke...

[Donald Lance]

The real reason behind Barry's trip overseas can be summed up in three points.
First, he was called out by the Repubs for not visiting the war zones. So he went.
Second, England, France and Germany were the incubators of the Socialist movement sprung up during the Industrial Revolution as a way to promote equality between the classes of people. Barry is a Democratic Socialist so his handlers knew he would find a receptive audience in these countries. What did pics of him in Berlin show you?
Lastly, he wanted to dip his toe into peace in the middle east, but found out the problem is more complicated than he thought and all the Saul Alinsky rhetoric he can spew will not work in this case.
So what did the American's learn from this? Barry has Socialism in play, peace cannot be achieved through words, and the world is now a kill-or-be-killed kind of place. Back to the drawing board for Barry!

I DON’T WANT OTHER COUNTRIES CONTROLLING OUR ELECTIONS... THE MEDIA DOES NOT KNOW HOW MUCH DAMAGE THEY ARE CREATING BY SUPPORTING OBAMA’S EVERY MOVE.

THE EUROPEANS DON’T WANT US TO BE A SUPERIOR TO THEM... THEY WANT US TO FALL APART... THIS WILL HAPPEN IF OBAMA WINS.

OBAMA SPEECHES REMIND ME OF THOSE OF CASTRO, CHAVEZ, HITLER, GADAFFI
and other DICTACTORS speeches. Great speakers, just fooling the people! We WON'T be fooled come elections day.

Wow, we went from Hitler, to HItler, Gadaffi, Castro and Chavez.

The vitriol from the GOP is at catastrophic levels.

[Chris W]

Donald:

Obama's trip may have sealed the deal for November, because he looked and sounded more like a President than McCain ever could. I can understand your frustration, because McCain's campaign can't seem to get out of its own way. It's likely he'll pick a veep nominee, the campaign will shoot its wad, and nobody will care.

Hey, Donald Lance -- are you going to cry on election day when all your republican friends lose?

Funny, I didn't see Obama as appearing like a Head of State.

More like an image-conscious celebrity. You know, like when Angelina Jolie or Madonna visit poor nations. People flock to them because they're different, famous and promise 'hope'... all the while their handlers are making sure the cameras are rolling to continue 'branding' that image.

[Hillary Supporters against Obama]

We Hillary supporters are very angry and done with YOU /DNC and this SEXIST, corrupt Democratic party leaders, You all know Sen. Hillary Clinton won and you decided to go against the THE PEOPLE’s WILL and SELECTED inexperienced, antiamericans,
terrorist lover Barack Hussein. We urge you to please ‘Put Hillary Clinton on the Ballot at the Convention, she is the people’s ELECTED nominee, Sen Clinton only SUSPENDED her campaign; otherwise, we will vote NOOOOO to all Democrats
in November and support experienced, war hero, trustworthy J McCain. WE DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY ANYMORE unless you reverse your decision and Hillary gets her nomination back. No Hillary nomination NO PARTY period!

NUMBERS DON’T LIE...here is WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmikfM4TqAM

For this one?:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGeu_4Ekx-o

That’s it! No one can name any of his accomplishments. He hasn’t had any, Oh he inspires wasn’t that what the dumbo said.

No politicians are going to steal our nominee and get away with it. Please listen for once to the people’s will for the sake of YOUR PARTY. Thank you.

The McCain Toad is great at cut and paste, but when the Rove Memo is late, his attempts to ad-lib betray that he's a mindless warty amphibian lacking the ability to convey anything of worth or interest.

Still, it doesn't cost anything to blog, and Mumblin' Mac lacks the skills to do much else but toss a few pennies to the "liar for hire" in a fruitless attempt to belittle Obama's gifts as a speaker.

[Silent Majority]

Hey, no use trying to convince Chris W. He is one of those guys who gets chills up his thigh when Obama talks, and talks and talks and....

He has that Obama "love spell". I'm sure he wakes up every morning and kisses the Messiah's picture before spending his day on this blog. Wacko Obamabots like him are too stupid to be convinced of anything except that socialism is the only answer and disrespect for our military, our constitutional principles, and anything they disagee with is the way to go. Remember all those young storm troopers that got behind Hitler? Well, they are going to be overwhelmed in November when the silent majority comes out to vote and puts them all out of their misery.

Oh, man, here come the Republicans fronting as disinfranchised Hillary supporters.

Now *that* is desperation.

Look at the polls, ding dong. Obama has solidified the base in every blue state in America. In New Jersey, he's up +8 (RCP average). Up +24 in Califorina (Field poll), up +17 in Minnesota (Rassmussen), up +16 in Washington State (Survey USA), up +11 in Wisconsin (Quinnipiac).

What's more, he's leading in traditional GOP stronghold like Colorado and Virginia and even Florida by some polls. This means he's winning independents and swing voters.

McCain's base is weak -- as evidenced by Dobson's tepid pseudo-endorsement.

Hillary has endorsed Obama. Clinton supporters will go with Obama in November. McCain will never coalesce the lunatic fringe right wing evangelical base he needs to win.

Hunker down, GOP. You're in for a long winter.

Obama Toad: "Liar For Hire"!

He can only endlessly repeat what the Obama campaign has given him as blog talk pieces. That's the problem with the Obama lovers. They have on mind of their own. Just go to their knees in support of Hitbama. Obama's Germany visit has them all revitalized and ready to continue the goal of "destroy America"!!!

Donald Lance has been playing with his toy Panzers and Shermans and reminiscing about the good old WWII days again.

11:47 You're mumbling.

11:47AM

Put down the cup of Kool-Aid and go to lunch. It will all be over for you folks come November, Especially if Hillary is not the VP.

The Silent Majority and the Pee'd off Hillary voters will make their voices heard.

Obama, President of the World, Master of None

OBAMA---THE RACIST, MUSLIM, AMERICA HATING SLOB WHO WANTS TO GIVE AWAY OUR FREEDOMS AND HAS NO RESPECT FOR OUR SOLDIERS. THE DAY OF RECKONING IS NEAR FOR HIM!!!

11:43 When is the comet coming for you?

Would someone please tell Jim Greet to pass this along to the slobbering masses: There's no such thing as a "Hillary voter." They are all voting for Obama. You can dress up all the kool-aid drinkers in Hillary gear that you want. It's not going to matter.

Hillary is not going to be on the ticket. She's not going to be president. She has endorsed -- and I just know this'll send the right wing meatheads into a fit -- Barack Obama. A guy with a vision and a plan for America.

His vision and his plan will pull us out of the eight years of awful desperation in a war of choice we should never have been in, a train-wreck economy, an infrastructure falling apart, and a world image that desperately needs burnishing.

11:52 AM

Same time it comes to pick you up!!

11:56 Ouch! (I'm guessing the Rove Memo's late again today?)

[Hillary or NO To Obama]

11:55 AM

You DO NOT speak for me and many others. Stop the defense of Obama. Hillary has many of us who WILL NOT vote for Obama w/o her in the VP spot. Are you another one of those sexists Obama supporters who demean women and take us for granted? Probably.

[Donald Lance]

Chris W. Again, I'm not a McCain toad either and I'm not going to cry come election day either way. The problem here is you relied on the media to paint a picture for you vs. painting one yourself. He who controls the media controls the masses. Goebbel's said something along the line of it is the fundamental right of the govt to control the thoughts of the people. So you need to take your glasses off when reading or watching the news.
But I like you Chris so I'll recommend a book to you by Friedrich A Hayek titled "The Road To Serfdom". It talks about the steps and failures of govt leading to a collapse of every freedom you hold dear.

[Flagophile]

The other day, McCain said that the $10 drop in the price of oil was due to President Bush lifting the executive ban on off-shore drilling.

Seriously?

You McCain supporters can't possibly believe that is true?

Worse still, you can't possibly think it sane to entrust our economic policy to someone with such little knowledge of the subject?

C'mon.

[Hayek = Gospel for Neo-cons]

Warning

[Out With The Republicans]

I'm voting Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe it's only fair for the wealthy entrepreneurs (who employ most of us) to pay more than the 40% of total income taxes in the US they already pay now.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe three or four pointy headed elitist liberals need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who would NEVER get their agendas past the voters.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe oil companies' profits of 8% on a gallon of gas are obscene but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% is perfectly alright.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that paying $ 4.00 a gallon or more is no reason to drill for the mountain of oil we are sitting on in THIS country. And aren't there more polar bears and caribou now than 20 years ago?

I'm voting Democrat because when we pull out of Iraq, I trust that the bad guys will stop what they're doing because they now think we're good people.

I'm voting Democrat because I like it when planes fly into buildings full of civilians. I want to see more of that.

I'm voting Democrat because I don't want a stimulus check to spend. Let the government spend it for me.

I'm voting Democrat because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it.

I'm voting Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever I want. I'm going to marry my TV.

I'm voting Democrat because I'm not concerned about the slaughter of millions of babies so long as we keep all death row inmates alive.

I'm voting Democrat because I don't want to eat poison food and drink dirty water. We all know Republicans love that stuff. And I think its just right wing propaganda that claims the most left wing country in the World (China) is the most polluted? It can't be it has to be the US, Al Gore said so.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that when the terrorists don't have to hide from us over there, when they come over here I don't want to have any guns in the house to fight them off with.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that churches should be a haven for political speeches.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that business should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the employees and those who don't want to work.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that I don't want Doctors who were at the top of their classes to operate on me. I want a government employee who makes $50k a year and couldn't hack it as a contractor or an engineer.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that people who can't tell us if it will rain on Friday CAN tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don't start driving a Prius.

I'm voting Democrat because I REALLY believe there is no bias in the media.

Donald may be wrong on distributed solar power but he is right on the money here!

Okay, HRC "supporter." Whatever you say.

I'm not "defending" Obama, I'm promoting him. There's nothing to defend. He won the most delegates. Case closed.

Hillary doesn't "have" anybody -- and certainly not "many." What she does have is her endorsement of Obama.

If you claim to be an Hillary supporter, then why won't you back who she has endorsed for President?

This is so weak it's not even funny. If folks can't see that this is some kind of weird, surreal, lame Republican ploy to feebly attempt to drive a wedge in between a perceived split in Democratic voters, then you're probably not reading this blog.

[Donald Lance]

Chris W. Because your professors never made you read an opposing view in your college classes, I'll give you a link to an illustrated version of the book. The way I figure it, we are now approaching step 10.

http://www.mises.org/books/TRTS/