Obama: You know, I don't remember exactly what Joe was referring to, not surprisingly

This from the UK Telegraph.

Barack Obama throws Joe Biden under the bus
Posted By: Toby Harnden at Feb 10, 2009 at 02:30:33

Pity poor Joe Biden. His "there's still a 30 percent chance we're going to get it wrong" quote is put straight to President Barack Obama during the White House press conference just now and his boss seemed to want to say: "Vice-President Who?"

As reporters started giggling, Obama came close to conceding that Biden was indeed a joke. "You know, I don't remember exactly what Joe was referring to, not surprisingly."

The President went on to say that "I think what Joe may have been suggesting, although I wouldn't ascribe any numerical percentage to any of this, is that given the magnitude of the challenges that we have, any single thing that we do is going to be part of the solution, not all of the solution."

Of course, Biden wasn't saying anything of the sort - Obama knew that and all the rest of us did too.

Biden's exact quote, read out by Fox's Major Garrett at the presser was: "If we do everything right, if we do it with absolute certainty, if we stand up there and we really make the tough decisions, there's still a 30 percent chance we're going to get it wrong."

Clearly, Obama and his aides were unhappy about Biden's loose lips. On Friday, top Obama adviser David Axelrod said on CNN: "I don't know exactly about what that math was."

We're probably going to have to get used to Obama explaining "what Joe may have been suggesting". And Biden must be wondering if he's going to end up as a Dan Quayle figure.

Hero of the Week - Judge Michael Sauer

Judge Michael Sauer deserves a pat on the back. This man is responsible for locking up Paris Hilton for 45 days and he did it without a single camera on him. Unlike the Anna Nicole fiasco in Florida where the courts allow their judges to ham it up in front of lights of the national press corps, Judge Sauer took a low key approach and acted judiciously.

Judge Sauer stayed so far from the limelight that the only image I could find of the man was a court drawing with him in the background as Paris Hilton was embarrassing herself on the witness stand. I thought to myself, Paris Hilton doesn't deserve to be in the same frame as this honorable man and quite frankly, I am sick of seeing her. So on this website Paris Hilton has been photo-shopped!

Some may say Judge Sauer's decision was too harsh. Most of these people obviously don't know Hilton's driving record, which included a DUI, violations for driving without her lights on, driving a vehicle without license plates, failure to enroll in a court order alcohol-education program and several stops by the police reminding Paris that she was driving on a suspended license. Hilton has demonstrated time and time again that rules apply to everyone else but her.

Ms. Hilton stated (lied) on the witness stand that when she was pulled over on January 22 she was unaware that her license was suspended. Despite the fact she was pulled over by California Highway Patrolmen on January 15 and was forced to sign a statement that acknowledged that she was informed that her license was suspended. Note here that Ms. Hilton was not cited on January 15th as she should have been.

Nonetheless, Paris' mother, Kathy Hilton declared, "This is pathetic and disgusting, a waste of taxpayer money with all this nonsense. This is a joke." You are wrong Mrs. Hilton. What's a joke is that because of your poor parenting skills, disciplining your children is now a burden on the hard-working taxpayer.

Hilton's attorney Howard Weitzman went even further to express his displeasure with the sentence stating, ".....It was clear that she's been selectively targeted in my opinion to be prosecuted because of who she is." Funny, He doesn't mention all the publicity, special perks and privileges Paris Hilton has been awarded in her life has also been based on solely who she is.

The only mistake Judge Sauer made was that he didn't allow Century Regional Detention Facility to charge Paris Hilton the same nightly rate that the Beverly Hills Hilton charges their patrons.

A Poem of No Rhyme or Reason

This past Saturday, Cincinnati, Ohio opened its new Fountain Square with a grand ceremony. But that turned sour when the former Cincinnatian poet/activist Nikki Giovanni recited her poem that turned the event from a display of civic pride to one better fitted for a political rally for the Democratic candidate Ted Strickland.

Giovanni's poem (if you want to call it that) created a fire-storm when she spoke the following lines:

I have watched policemen
Shoot young black men in the back
And have watched my community respond, a people who once saved this city
. . .
I am the Cincinnati Western and Southern Tennis Championships, though I am played in Mason
. . .
I am not a son of a bitch like Kenny Blackwell
...
I will not use the color of my skin to cover the hatred in my heart
I am not a political whore jumping from bed to bed to see who will stroke my need

Officials from Cincinnati City Center Development Corp. (3CDC) said in a statement Monday that Giovanni's remarks, which drew gasps and some applause from the audience, were "completely inappropriate" for the event.

The organizers of the event insist that the poem that Giovanni provided before the event did not contain the controversial remarks. Though the poet claims that it was made clear that what was being submitted was a "work in progress" (I can only guess that it is completed now) and added that she would never submit a poem for prior approval.

In an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer Giovanni claims, "All I have is my voice, I don't want it silenced. We were on (Fountain Square) where the Klan gathered to speak. I'm not sure as many people called to complain about what the Klan had to say as what I said."

First off, I was in Cincinnati during the time of the Klan rally. Jerry Springer was Mayor and refused to sign the permit allowing the Klan to use Fountain Square for their sick, hate filled message. The case went all the way to the US Supreme Court who ruled that the Klan had a Constitutional right to assemble. This made national headlines, so stop playing the victim Ms. Giovanni.

Second, Giovanni failed to mention the black on black crimes that are tearing her community apart. Despite what she may think, members of the police force put their lives on the line to protect and serve the law abiding public. Isn't ironic only two days after her rant on the Square, Christopher Smith, a 21 year old black man, plead guilty to attempted murder after he admitted that he shot at Cincinnati Policemen. Where is Giovanni's outrage over this?

And lastly, the sole intent of Giovanni's poem was to silence those that disagree with her opinions. Furthermore, I can not help but believe she was targeting members of the African American community who support a conservative agenda. Giovanni was questioning the "blackness" of anyone that doesn't walk in step with her left wing agenda. With this form of public intimidation she is attempting to stifle the free speech and thoughts of others. Shame on her.

Some Things Never Change

You may have notice that for awhile there I stopped making postings, but I can't help but think that some things just never change. Back in March the story of the day was the Muslim protests of editorial cartoons, today the story is that the same people are protesting the remarks of Pope Benedict XIV.

What amazes me that the lazy mainstream media has allowed the Muslim world to characterize the Pope's remarks, rather than informing the public what he actually said. I have read news report after news report to find out exactly what words the Pope used. Not one story quoted the Pope directly nor has any major news agency try to accurately represent the Pope’s intent. I personally think that it is important to try to understand the Pope in the proper context. Therefore, the following is an exerpt from the Pope's speech:

"In the seventh conversation (*4V8,>4H - controversy) edited by Professor Khoury, the emperor touches on the theme of the holy war. The emperor must have known that surah 2, 256 reads: "There is no compulsion in religion". According to the experts, this is one of the suras of the early period, when Mohammed was still powerless and under threat. But naturally the emperor also knew the instructions, developed later and recorded in the Qur'an, concerning holy war. Without descending to details, such as the difference in treatment accorded to those who have the "Book" and the "infidels", he addresses his interlocutor with a startling brusqueness on the central question about the relationship between religion and violence in general, saying: "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached". The emperor, after having expressed himself so forcefully, goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable. Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul. "God", he says, "is not pleased by blood - and not acting reasonably (F×< 8`(T) is contrary to God's nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats... To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death...". The decisive statement in this argument against violent conversion is this: not to act in accordance with reason is contrary to God's nature. The editor, Theodore Khoury, observes: For the emperor, as a Byzantine shaped by Greek philosophy, this statement is self-evident. But for Muslim teaching, God is absolutely transcendent. His will is not bound up with any of our categories, even that of rationality. Here Khoury quotes a work of the noted French Islamist R. Arnaldez, who points out that Ibn Hazn went so far as to state that God is not bound even by his own word, and that nothing would oblige him to reveal the truth to us. Were it God's will, we would even have to practise idolatry.At this point, as far as understanding of God and thus the concrete practice of religion is concerned, we are faced with an unavoidable dilemma. Is the conviction that acting unreasonably contradicts God's nature merely a Greek idea, or is it always and intrinsically true?...."

Pope is merely stating that spreading faith through violence is an unreasonable thought and counter to the nature of God. The Pope's message is squarely targeted to the Islamic radicals calling for a jihad. The only thing offensive about these words is that they came out of the mouth of the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and not from a Mullah in Mecca. When will the message that there is nothing holy or reasonable about waging a violent jihad come from the Muslim leadership? Let me make this clear - the Pope is not criticizing Muslims in general, but I am!

My Thoughts On The Oscars

The Oscars over and hopefully so is the endless chatter about Brokeback Mountain. Don't get me wrong, Brokeback Mountain is a good film. The film looked good and the acting was fine. However, Crash is a great film and certainly was the most important movie of the year. I'm very glad it won. This is the second year in a row that Paul Hagis wrote the best film of the year, he was responsible for last year's winner Million Dollar Baby.

Congratulations to Eric Simonson for his Best Documentary (Short Subject) Oscar. Eric was my acting ensemble teacher at Columbia College. I know an Oscar winner, how about that!

I thought it was interesting that Sid Ganis (President of the Academy) and Jake Gyllenhaal made comments that movies were meant to be seen on the big screen. Do they believe that home theaters are the reason why the box office receipts are down this year? Heaven forbid Hollywood should make better movies.

When Hard Out Here for a Pimp won for Best Song I couldn't help but think of Kristi Hoening, who was died last week after her pimp collected $120 from the man who would later kill her. The pimp is sitting in jail after he failed to make his $5 million dollar bond. After honoring a song like that is it any surprise to hear people say Hollywood is out of touch?

Well apparently being out of touch fits George Clooney just fine. Clooney claims that an out of touch Hollywood brings attention to important social problems, such as AIDS awareness. Clooney didn't realize that it was nearly 10 years after AIDS came to the forefront of public conscientiousness that a major film released from Hollywood finally addressed the AIDS issue (Philadelphia-1993). If Clooney considers this a good response time then we can all thank goodness he isn't running FEMA.

Clooney spoke with pride when he mentioned Hattie McDaniel's Oscar award winning performance as an example of Hollywood's help in advancing the civil rights movement. You have to wonder if Clooney has ever seen Gone With the Wind. I would hardly call McDaniel's "Mammy" the role that broke racial barriers, just the opposite, it probably did more to reinforced stereotypes. Maybe someone should tell George that it was 33 years before the next black woman was nominated for a best actress award (Diana Ross - Lady Sings the Blues) and 62 years before a black woman won the Oscar again (Halle Berry - Monster's Ball). George Clooney, you’re not out of touch. You're out of your mind!

It's Morning in America Mr. Gumbel!

You don't hear very much from Bryant Gumbel since his exile (banishment) from morning television. But apparently at least one person viewed his Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on HBO, where Gumbel's remarks on the Winter Olympics is quoted as saying:

"...try not to be incredulous when someone attempts to link these games to those of the ancient Greeks who never heard of skating or skiing. So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world's greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention."

Even more surprising than Gumbel’s correct usage of the word "paucity", is his comparison of the "white" winter games to a GOP Convention. It seems that Bryant has been out of "real news" reporting a bit too long. While you can make the case that "paucity of blacks" exists among the athletes at the Winter Games, you would be hard press to make that argument in the big tent called the Republican Party. Three of the highest profile election races this year features African Americans who are all Republicans. Early polls shows Lynn Swan and Ken Blackwell leading in their race to be become Governors of Pennsylvania and Ohio, and Michael Steele is making a strong case for victory in his U.S. Senate race in Maryland. What is even more amazing is that these men are running as conservatives in the tradition of Ronald Reagan!

Let’s look at what has happened since Bryant Gumbel stopped giving Americans their first look at the daily news. The 2004 Presidential Elections showed a 4% evaporation of the nationwide black support of Democratic candidate John Kerry. In the state of Ohio, George Bush won 17% of the African American vote thanks in large part to Ken Blackwell. A recent AP-AOL Black Voices poll showed Condoleezza Rice and Collin Powell finishing right behind Jessie Jackson as the "most important" black leader in America today. These are not just "token" voices; In addition to Powell and Rice, President Bush has brought to his administration J.C. Watts, Rod Paige, Claude Allen and Michael Powell. At the same time we have seen the emergence of outspoken social commentators like Armstrong Williams, Joseph C. Phillips, Walter Williams, Thomas Sowell and TV's Good Times star Jimmy "JJ" Walker.

Yes Mr. Gumbel, whether you want to admit it or not, as the average African-American combats the daily threats to their community caused by a poor educational system, crime and moral decadence, they turn more and more to conservatism to provide much needed solutions.

This is not lost on the Democratic Party leadership, which explains why Michael Steele is pelted with Oreo cookies at every rally and Hillary Clinton's "plantation" remark to a black audience in Harlem. But if claims of "Uncle Tom-ism" and race-baiting are the only answers the Democratic Party has to solve the problems facing African-Americans then they will continue to lose elections in November.

News from the H'Wood

Just when you thought Hollywood couldn't get loonier, along comes this story reported on http://www.imdb.com/news/wenn/2006-02-16/.


Hilton To Play Mother Teresa?

Socialite Paris Hilton has reportedly been asked to play celebrated humanitarian Mother Teresa in a movie biopic. Indian director T. Rajeevnath has contacted the hotel heiress about taking the lead role in his new film, which will chronicle the late nun's life. He tells MTV.co.uk, "My agents in California have contacted Paris Hilton. Although there are several actresses willing to play the role of Mother Teresa, the most widely respected and loved person, the history of the actress who is finally chosen for the role would have to be analyzed thoroughly before she is chosen."

Grammy Watchers...

At 2:54 am on Sunday morning the Grammy Awards presented the last prize of the year when the Best American Folk Music with String Orchestration by a Female Solo Clogger Artist Named Martha was presented to Barbra Lotton for her work on Clog-In: 10 Cents a Dance. This was the second award of the ceremony presented to Ms. Lotton, she also won for Best Album Cover Featuring the Seduction of a Minor, beating out Grammy favorites R. Kelly and Michael Jackson.


Ms. Lotton accepted her awards in a stunning wet tee shirt designed by Armani, inspiring co-presenters Courtney Love and Dennis Rodman to urinate on each other.

Congratulations to the Squeelers

The Payoff?