State of the Union

CBS News - Inside the McCain Campaign

Commander-in-Chief Obama? Not so much.

John Trever, Albuquerque Journal

Obama Love

Obama's Enigma

Washington Post columnist David Broder sums up Barack Obama's candidacy:

No one in recent decades has emerged as the party standard-bearer from so truncated a political career: four years in the U.S. Senate during which he has yet to lead on any major domestic or foreign policy issue, preceded by largely anonymous service in the Illinois state Senate.

Broder goes on to note Obama's constantly changing positions and concludes:

The risk for him is if he also frustrates the voters who need to understand what makes him tick. They don't elect enigmas to the Oval Office.

Find More, Use Less

Mourning the loss of a friend

Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett issued the following statement today regarding the death of former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow:

Life seems awfully unfair when we have to say goodbye too soon to people like Tony Snow.  His infectious joy and courage gave hope to so many people, and his untimely loss is just impossible to comprehend.

As a former Ohioan, Tony had a special place in his heart for his friends in the Buckeye State.  He was always full of energy and optimism and always anxious to help us here even in the face of his own physical battles.  We've lost a dear friend and a colleague, and our love and prayers go out to Tony's family at this difficult time.  This is such a profound loss for all of us.

Barack Obama on Iraq

Watch the end of the ad.  It's hilarious.  Take his majesty away from a prompter, and he's speechless...

Don't Hope for a Better Life, Vote for One

OH Rep. Josh Mandel: "Star on the Rise"

Powerline has a post up about Ohio Rep. Josh Mandel, Republican from the 17th District outside of Cleveland.  He was recently invited to speak before a meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, CA.  The former Marine-turned-legislator did not disappoint:

From the moment he began his speech, however, the Republican Jewish Coalition audience hung on his every word.

He was lucky that he could finish talking in his allotted 15 minutes, as he was interrupted by applause 13 times.  When he finished, the audience of mostly jaded, been-there, done-that political junkies gave him a rousing standing ovation, and a couple dozen well-wishers mobbed him as he walked off the stage.

One observer -- who has been to countless political events -- said simply, "Josh is a world-class speaker."

The post also includes details of Mandel's now famous campaign work-ethic, where he knocked on almost 20,000 doors on his way to victory in 2006 and wore clear through three pairs of shoes in the process.  Read the full post here.

Obama "Refines" His Pledge for Iraq Withdrawal

It's official:  Barack Obama doesn't have a solid position on anything.

After spending the primaries beating the drum of withdrawal, Obama now says he will "refine" his position on Iraq.

Obama: "I've always said that the pace of withdrawal would be dictated by the safety and security of our troops and the need to maintain stability. That assessment has not changed...And when I go to Iraq and have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I'm sure I'll have more information and will continue to refine my policies." (NY Times)

But that's a far cry from what he said in April at the Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate in Philadelphia:

ABC's Charles Gibson: "And, Senator Obama, your campaign manager, David Plouffe, said, 'When he is' -- this is talking about you - 'When he is elected president, we will be out of Iraq in 16 months at the most. There should be no confusion about that.' So you'd give the same rock-hard pledge, that no matter what the military commanders said, you would give the order to bring them home?"

Obama: "Because the commander-in-chief sets the mission, Charlie. That's not the role of the generals. ... Now, I will always listen to our commanders on the ground with respect to tactics, once I've given them a new mission, that we are going to proceed deliberately, in an orderly fashion, out of Iraq, and we are going to have our combat troops out. We will not have permanent bases there. Once I have provided that mission, if they come to me and want to adjust tactics, then I will certainly take their recommendations into consideration. But, ultimately, the buck stops with me as the commander-in-chief."

Remember, this is hardly the first radical change we’ve seen from Obama in recent days.  On any number of issues from the 2^nd amendment to public financing, Barack Obama has changed course to suit to whatever is politically expedient at that moment.

If reversing your positions and breaking promises to the American people is just ‘refining policies,’ then Barack Obama might be the most refined candidate in history.  Right next to John Kerry.