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Last Updated: Sep 16th, 2008 - 10:53:38 |
Michelle Obama & Ted Kennedy Help Open Democratic National Convention
On Monday night, Michelle Obama gave the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
Michelle Obama: “Millions of Americans who know that Barack understands their dreams, millions of Americans who know that Barack will fight for people like them and that Barack will bring, finally, the change that we need.”
Obama was joined on stage by her two daughters, Malia and Sasha, who stole the show during a talk, via video, with their father.
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| Sasha Obama grabs the mike. |
Senator Edward Kennedy also spoke in one of his first public appearances since being diagnosed with a brain tumor in May.
Sen. Edward Kennedy: “Barack Obama will be a commander-in-chief who understands that young Americans in uniform must never be committed to a mistake.”
Colorado Men No True Threat to Obama
A group of suspected drug users arrested in Denver this weekend with methamphetamine, guns and bulletproof vests made racist threats against Barack Obama but posed no true danger to the presidential candidate as he accepts the Democratic nomination here this week, federal authorities said Tuesday.
The three men -- all said to be high on methamphetamine when arrested -- are the subject of an assassination investigation, but so far, authorities say, it appears they had no capacity to carry out any attack on Obama.
"The law recognizes a difference between a true threat -- one that can be carried out -- and the reported racist rantings of a drug addict," U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said.
He said the men's plans were "more aspirational, perhaps, than operational."
The three have been charged with drug and weapons offenses but not with threatening to assassinate Obama or with other national-security-related crimes.
Obama will become the first black nominee for president by a major party at this week's convention.--BlackAmericaWeb.com
‘Barack Obama is My Candidate,’ Sen. Clinton Tells Her Supporters
In a fiery offering to thousands of delegates, Sen. Hillary Clinton told the nation Tuesday that Americans should enthusiastically rally around Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee who could become the nation's first black president.
Clinton seemingly put her bitterness from losing the Democratic primaries behind and stood at the podium at the Pepsi Center during the Democratic National Convention and made peace with her circumstances and peace with Obama.
"Whether you voted for me, or voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose. We are on the same team, and none of us can sit on the sidelines. This is a fight for the future. And it's a fight we must win together," she said.
Her supporters cheered wildly; her skeptics also clapped but wondered privately if Clinton is a good actress who is simply going through the motions.
Clinton ended quoting Harriet Tubman, the leader of the Underground Railroad who helped escaped slaves run to freedom. "Don't ever stop!" Tubman advised. "Keep going."--www.BlackAmericaWeb.com
Oxfam: Black Evacuees from New Orleans Continue to Face Weak Job Prospects
And a new report by Oxfam America has found only 12 percent of African American evacuees who returned to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina have been able to find work over the past three years. Meanwhile, 45 percent of white evacuees have been successful in finding work. Friday marks the third anniversary of Katrina hitting the Gulf Coast region. Oxfam also reports that 35,000 individuals are still living in FEMA trailers in the Gulf Coast.
Obama Taps Joe Biden to Be His Running Mate
Thousands of Democratic delegates have gathered here in Denver today for the start of the Democratic National Convention. The convention begins two days after Senator Barack Obama tapped fellow Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware to be his running mate. Obama made the announcement in a text message early Saturday morning. The two appeared at a rally on Saturday in Springfield, Illinois before 35,000 supporters.
Sen. Barack Obama: “Joe Biden is that rare mix. For decades, he has brought change to Washington, but Washington hasn’t changed him. He’s an expert on foreign
policy whose heart and values are rooted firmly in the middle class.”
Senator Biden criticized Republican candidate John McCain for not knowing how many homes he owned.
Sen. Joe Biden: “Ladies and gentlemen, your kitchen table is like mine. You sit there at night before you put the kids—after you put the kids to bed, and you talk, and you talk about what you need. You talk about how much you’re worried about being able to pay the bills. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that’s not a worry John McCain has to worry about. It’s a pretty hard experience: he’ll have to figure out which of the seven kitchen tables to sit at.”
Biden has served in the Senate since 1972 and is the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In 2002, Biden was one of twenty-nine Democratic senators to vote to authorize the invasion of Iraq. He later said his vote was a mistake. He has also taken the controversial position of advocating for the partitioning of Iraq into three or more regions.
Nader Describes Biden as the “MasterCard Senator”
Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader described Biden as the MasterCard Senator. One of Biden’s biggest corporate backers is the Delaware-based credit card company MBNA. Biden was the key architect of the 2005 bankruptcy law which made it harder for consumers to file for bankruptcy protection. At the time, Biden’s son was working as a consultant to MBNA. Nader also criticized Biden for helping to create the modern drug war by pushing the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act.
McCain Issues Obama Attack Ad Using Biden’s Words
Hours after Barack Obama selected Biden, Senator John McCain released a commercial about Biden.
Narrator: “What does Barack Obama’s running mate say about Barack Obama?”
ABC’s George Stephanopoulos: “You were asked, ‘Is he ready?’ You said, ‘I think he can be ready but right now, I don’t believe he is. The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training.’”
Joe Biden: “I think that I stand by the statement.”
Narrator: “And what does he say about John McCain?”
Biden: “I would be honored to run with or against John McCain, because I think the country would be better off.”
John McCain: “I’m John McCain, and I approve this message.”
McCain Adviser Lobbied to Allow People on Terror Watch Lists Buy Gun
Newsweek has revealed one of John McCain’s top campaign advisers has been lobbying Congress to allow people on terrorist watch lists to buy guns. Gun control groups and the Bush administration have supported closing this loophole, known as the terror gap. But registration documents filed by the adviser, Randy Scheunemann, show that he has lobbied on behalf of the National Shooting Sports Foundation to preserve the loophole. A spokesperson for the gun manufacturers trade association says plugging the loophole would deny “due process” to gun buyers. McCain’s campaign refused to answer questions from Newsweek about whether the senator supports or opposes the White House plan to close the loophole, and it also declined to say if Scheunemann had ever lobbied McCain on gun control bills.
Bank Regulators Close Kansas Bank
And in economic news, bank regulators have closed the Columbian Bank and Trust Co. of Topeka, Kansas. It is the nation’s ninth bank to collapse this year.
12 States Sue EPA Over Oil Refineries Emissions
Twelve states, including New York, are suing the Environmental Protection Agency over greenhouse gas emissions from oil refineries. The lawsuit, led by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo of New York, accuses the agency of violating the federal Clean Air Act by refusing to issue standards, known as new source performance standards, for controlling the emissions.
Rice Criticizes Israeli Checkpoints and Travel Restrictions
On her final Middle East tour as Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice used the occasion to criticize Israeli checkpoints and restrictions on travel for Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. When asked about them, she told reporters that “obviously there’s more that needs to be done.” At the start of her two-day tour, she praised the release of 198 Palestinian political prisoners on the eve of her visit. Rice is scheduled to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah today before flying back to Washington.
Construction of Settlements in West Bank Speeds Up
Meanwhile, the Israeli group Peace Now has issued a new report on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The group said construction had begun on more than 1,000 buildings in the West Bank since January, nearly double the number of building starts in the same period in 2007. More than half of the current construction was taking place in areas beyond the settlement blocs Israel has said it intends to keep in any peace agreement with the Palestinians.
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