A Pantheon For One

Barack Obama's new digs in Denver, his faux Greek temple, are attracting the predictable amount of scorn from the right side of the blogosphere. Meanwhile, the media has hunkered down in the bunker (probably avoiding arrest) and is trying an equivalency meme out. I generally thought a bit better of Ben Smith at The Politico, but he's trying the trial balloon toga on for size:

Barack Obama's appearance in Denver won't be the first convention speech framed by Greek columns.

Republicans who are mocking Obama's appearance haven't mentioned it, but George W. Bush accepted his own nomination in 2004 on a set with a similar neoclassical theme, with columns rising on either side of him, as the pictures above and below show.

Smith is accurate, but far from truthful here. Yes, there were columns. A total, per Smith's own photographic "proof', of six columns as part of the convention hall decor.

What it was not was a purpose-built faux-Greek temple in a stadium. Bush accepted in the convention hall, not in a football stadium. Nor did he have an entire temple assembled for himself to house his ego. The media may try to split hairs here and play the equivalency card, average voters will be more than a bit disturbed at the imagery the Obama campaign has used. But, our backroom staff here at the Crabitat has helpfully written a new anthem (or is it paean?) for the stadium toga after-party:

Obama, Hey Bama, Bama, Bama, Oh!
Bama, hey Bama, Obama
Barry, Barry, won't you smile at me?
Bama, Obama hey Superstar

Powerline has helpful dress tips for those supporters who want to meet the dress code.

Will The Scales Fall From Media Eyes?

Whether the media admits it or not, they are rapidly becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Democratic party and Obama campaign. Maybe the openly stated plan to attack television stations that dare to air anti-Obama ads didn't get their attention. (The Obama campaign pledged to coordinate attacks on those stations, but the media largely yawned.) Maybe the arrest of one of their own for daring to attempt to film lobbyists and Democratic Senators will finally enlighten them as to what they are involved in. Perhaps they'll pay attention to the story of Asa Eslocker, an ABC News producer.

A cigar-smoking Denver police sergeant, accompanied by a team of five other officers, first put his hands on Eslocker's neck, then twisted the producers arm behind him to put on handcuffs.

A police official later told lawyers for ABC News that Eslocker is being charged with trespass, interference, and failure to follow a lawful order. He also said the arrest followed a signed complaint from the Brown Palace Hotel.

Eslocker was put in handcuffs and loaded in the back of a police van which headed for a nearby police station.

Video taken at the scene shows a man, wearing the uniform of a Boulder County sheriff, ordering Eslocker off the sidewalk in front of the hotel, to the side of the entrance.

The sheriff's officer is seen telling Eslocker the sidewalk is owned by the hotel. Later he is seen pushing Eslocker off the sidewalk into oncoming traffic, forcing him to the other side of the street.

The media better wake up. Or they will be completely owned and will have no one to blame but themselves.

For all the screeching from the left that they were being oppressed under the Bush presidency, I don't recall network personnel being herded off to jail. Thuggish tactics seem to be the forte of the "liberals".

How Green Was My Temple

Grand news! The Temple of Obama in Denver is made of recycled material! And they have garbage police!

Some 900 volunteers were enlisted to help delegates sort their garbage so it ends up at a recycling plant or composting facility.

Caterers and other vendors are also being instructed in waste diversion.

And the company hired to build the stage where Barack Obama will accept his party's nomination has been asked to use recycled materials and make sure they get reused when the stage is torn down.

One could point out, of course, that had the 900 volunteer dumpster divers stayed home, the carbon footprint of the convention would have been reduced by a far larger amount than all their efforts. But that would entail some math skills on the part of the true believers.

Too much to ask, I suppose.

The Sermon Near The Mound

Oh, brother:

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's big speech on Thursday night will be delivered from an elaborate columned stage resembling a miniature Greek temple. (Emphasis added)

The stage, similar to structures used for rock concerts, has been set up at the 50-yard-line, the midpoint of Invesco Field, the stadium where the Denver Broncos' National Football League team plays.

Some 80,000 supporters will see Obama appear from between plywood columns painted off-white, reminiscent of Washington's Capitol building or even the White House, to accept the party's nomination for president.

Followed by a simple supper of loaves and fishes, no doubt.

Perhaps someone should remind the Obama campaign of another ancient Greek concept: Hubris.

(The title of the post would have been funnier if they played baseball in the stadium.)

Via Memeorandum. Others: Weekly Standard Blog, The Corner, Redstate, Sister Toldjah 

Unforced Error

I've called the Obama campaign the Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight recently. This is the biggest, glaring example I have seen of that. Obama's campaign has gone on the offensive on ads that discuss Obama and his association with Bill Ayers, the unrepentant 60s radical who believes his group didn't set enough bombs. What disturbs me the most is that the campaign is officially planning to coordinate economic attacks on television stations that air the ad:

Bauer’s letter called on the Justice Department to open “an investigation of the American Issues Project; its officers and directors; and its anonymous donors, whoever they may be.”

“This is a sad ploy to circumvent the First Amendment by a campaign who has no arguments with the merits of our ad. It’s the classic maneuver: If you can’t win on the merits, file a lawsuit,” said a spokesman for the American Issues Project, Christian Pinkston, who said his group's non-profit status allowed it to participate in elections as long as it does a majority of policy work, which it plans to do.

A spokeswoman for Keeney, Laura Sweeney, declined to comment on Bauer’s letter.

The Obama campaign plans to punish the stations that air the ad financially, an Obama aide said, organizing his supporters to target the stations that air it and their advertisers. (Emphasis added)

These are thuggish tactics the like of which I don't recall ever seeing before, at least not one directly coordinated by a campaign. They are frightened of this ad in a way that is making them react - or rather overreact - in a very bad way. This is going to backfire badly on the Obama campaign. More from Jennifer Rubin.

Two Things To Read

There are two interesting articles that deserve a read: one popped up over at Memeorandum, the other at Real Clear Politics. First, Joe Klein made a visit to a focus group:

–"Change" as a theme is over. Too vague. And Obama's rhetoric has begun to seriously cut against him. "No more oratory," one woman said. "Give us details." (There may be a racial component to this, by the way, as some white people associate soaring oratory with African-American leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesse Jackson.)

–What do they want? Given a list of 31 personal attributes the next President might have and asked to pick the eight most important, "Accountability" finished highest with 13 votes, next was "Someone I can trust" with 12, "honest and ethical" was third with 11. "Agrees with me on the issues" got one vote. They didn't care if the candidate was a Washington insider or outsider. "A dynamic and charismatic leader" got two votes…(Add: When Luntz asked them which was more important, "accountability" or "change," the vote was 17 to 4 in favor of accountability.)

There is a lot more and it is worth a read. The second item is from Stuart Rothenberg. He wonders about buyer's remorse:

Obama remains the favorite to win in November, but he has not yet come close to locking up the race, even with a political landscape that is slanted so completely in his party's favor.

Because of that, it's hard not to wonder whether his party would be in a far more secure position to win the White House if Democrats in Denver were preparing to nominate Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden, former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner or any of a number of other Democrats, possibly including New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

On one hand, voters remain very unhappy with the Bush administration and with the direction of the country, and Obama remains one of the party's strongest messengers for "change."

But, if Klein is right, the "change" thing is beginning to wear very thin with undecided voters. That is a real problem for a candidate who is big on hopeyness but short on specifics - other than raising taxes, of course.

He’s Very Clean

For those too young to remember (apropos the last post), here's where the "very clean" reference comes from.

Groovin’ To The Oldies

It's Obama! It's Biden! It's a Blast From The Past! He's very clean, don't you know.

Joe Biden. This really is a joke, right?

UPDATE: Are we sure robots are NOT involved, AllahPundit?

The Nuance Of Moral Equivalency

Victor Davis Hanson comments on a pattern of blaming America exhibited by none other than the hopey-changey one himself. Hanson finds it less than inspiring.

Aside from the silliness of these statements, the problem for Obama, again, is that incrementally they really do start to add up—America's "tragic history," the mini-sermon on decline to the 7-year-old, waffling exegesis to Rick Warren about our own evil, the confessions to the cheering Berliners about our transgressions—and these doubts are enhanced rather than ameliorated by Michelle Obama's various rantings, and the creepy things former associates like Ayers, Wright, and Pfleger have said about America and its culture. Some disinterested observer from Mars might adduce that the Obamas at this point can't help it, since the 'everybody believes it' anti-American message they absorbed was of long duration and reinforced where they went to school, where they worshiped, and where they worked.

Hanson calls it Pavlovian, a knee-jerk response from Obama. I'd point out that Obama reveals his inexperience with things like this. Obviously, he has a real problem with the country he wants to lead and is unable to control his criticism. Regular voters - not the flying squads of true believers - will decide this election. Continuing to pander to the beliefs of the fringe left is not going to play well with the vital center.

So, by all means, Barack, carry on.

Y R U S2pd?

Barack Obama's big plan to announce his VP choice via text message has brought out the mischievous in some people. A large number of people report receiving fake text messages announcing false names. There is little chance that things will get any better in the next few hours until the "big moment." So, by then, many people will pay no attention to the real announcement.

CHESAPEAKE, Va. – By the time Barack Obama is ready to announce his vice presidential pick, will anyone believe him?

In recent days, as speculation and anticipation has mounted, so too have phony text messages declaring Obama’s supposed running mate – from Evan Bayh and Hillary Rodham Clinton to Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps.

It’s a cruel twist in a prolonged game of guessing that has put political junkies and Democratic supporters on edge since the campaign announced last week that it would disclose Obama’s choice through text messaging, which is expected to happen by Saturday.

In the absence of real information, pranksters have filled the gap with guidance from the website Wonkette – and maybe Howard Stern, too.

What gets me about this story is that nobody in the Gang Who Couldn't Shoot Straight - er - the Obama Campaign  - saw this coming? Really? Nobody? In the attempt to look young and hip, they end up looking inept and clueless. Nicely done, folks.

Glass Mansions

It seems there are some interesting ties between Michelle Obama's employer and the Barack Obama campaign. The Washington Post reports:

Michelle Obama, an executive at the medical center, launched an innovative program to steer the patients to existing neighborhood clinics to deal with their health needs.

That effort, in time, inspired a broader program the hospital now calls its Urban Health Initiative. To ensure community support, Michelle Obama and others in late 2006 recommended that the hospital hire the firm of David Axelrod, who a few months later became the chief strategist for Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

Axelrod's firm recommended an aggressive promotional effort modeled on a political campaign — appoint a campaign manager, conduct focus groups, target messages to specific constituencies, then recruit religious leaders and other third-party "validators." They, in turn, would write and submit opinion pieces to Chicago publications.

One key recommendation from Axelrod's firm: "Respond quickly to opposition activity."

The medical center's initiative provides a window into the close relationship between the Obamas, their associates at the University of Chicago and Axelrod, the strategist most central to Barack Obama's rise. It also illustrates how that circle, and particularly Michelle, dealt with an intractable social problem that confronts many urban areas: How much care should large, nonprofit hospitals offer the poor in return for tax-exempt status?

This is interesting on a couple of levels. In a way it is just typical Chicago politics, where contracts are routinely steered to political supporters. In another, it gives a lot of insight into how Axelrod thinks politically: Astroturfing beats grassroots. Neither Michelle Obama or Axelrod would comment about this article as it was being written. Also a hallmark of Chicago-style political business ties. Read the whole thing.

Where's the changey-hopeyness? It isn't apparent in this deal. It also isn't apparent that the netroots understand that they are being cynically manipulated as part of a (well) paid political consultant's expressed strategy.

Bad - Really Bad - Move

On the part of the Obama campaign. They chose to attack John McCain for not being able to answer how "houses" McCain owns. Considering the fact that Obama obtained his mansion with the help of convicted felon Tony Rezko, this was a stupid - potentially politically lethally stupid - move on the campaign's part. They have opened the door to a counterpunch over Obama's ties to Rezko.

“Does a guy who… bought his own million-dollar mansion with the help of a convicted felon really want to get into a debate about houses?”

–Spokesman Rogers:

Says Obama lives in “a frickin’ mansion” that was “bought in a shady deal with a convicted felon.” Says they will hit harder on Tony Rezko.

People who live in glass mansions might want to heed that old proverb. The full quote from the McCain camp is actually a lot more pointed than the excerpt quoted above:

McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said in response: "Does a guy who made more than $4 million last year, just got back from vacation on a private beach in Hawaii and bought his own million-dollar mansion with the help of a convicted felon really want to get into a debate about houses? Does a guy who worries about the price of arugula and thinks regular people 'cling' to guns and religion in the face of economic hardship really want to have a debate about who’s in touch with regular Americans?

They may be grabbing media attention with their claims, but the counterattack by McCain is devastating. Up until now they have pretty much kept off of Rezko, even if Hillary did not. But now the forum is a national one, not a Democratic party internecine one. This will backfire on Obama.

By the way, whatever happened to a different kind of politics and promises of change from Obama? Looks like old-style political hardball to me. No hope of change there.

UPDATE: Via Glenn Reynolds, the counterpunch. (Glenn also points out that this was a bad move on Obama's campaign, this ad shows why.)

Who Is Leading Whom?

A fairly surprising bit of reporting from Andrew Romano of Newsweek's Stumper blog. It seems that the supposed big money advantage that Obama has over McCain doesn't exist. In fact, McCain will have considerably more cash going into the general election than Obama - by a rather large margin.

For all the pundits who predicted that Democratic nominee Barack Obama would crush McCain in the general-election money race, this should come as something of a surprise. After all, Obama raked in a record-breaking $280 million during the primary season; McCain's receipts totaled a measly $120 million. But as the last few months of federal fund raising disclosures have shown, "the real surprise" of this year's cash chase–as I wrote on July 11–is that "it's much more competitive than anyone expected." And the latest numbers are no expection.

While Obama netted a massive $51 million in July–again clobbering McCain, who racked up $27 million–the important statistic to look at is the combined amount of cash-on-hand for each candidate and his party (i.e, how much is actually available to spend on getting the nominee elected). In this case, the totals are nearly identical: the Republicans finished July with $96 million in the bank ($75 million for the RNC, $21 million for McCain) versus $94.3 million for the Democrats ($25.8 million for the DNC, $65.8 million for Obama). Bottom line: neither candidate is struggling financially.

There's more, do hop over and read it. As Romano points out, McCain will not have to fund raise during the general election. He opted for public financing and will be getting large monthly checks as a result. Obama will have to continue raising funds right through election day. McCain is currently outspending Obama by large margins in key states. Admittedly, the results are mixed so far, but things are not quite what many predicted, either.

Obama’s Weirdness

The interview on faith and religion I mentioned the other day is a gold mine of weirdness.  Let's look at what Obama thinks is going on when he is speaking to crowd as a political leader:

OBAMA: IT’s interesting, the most powerful political moments for me come when I feel like my actions are aligned with a certain truth. I can feel it. When I’m talking to a group and I’m saying something truthful, I can feel a power that comes out of those statements that is different than when I’m just being glib or clever.

GG: What’s that power? Is it the holy spirit? God?

OBAMA: Well, I think it’s the power of the recognition of God, or the recognition of a larger truth that is being shared between me and an audience.

So, it seems clear that when Barack Obama feels strongly about something it is because he views it as touching something of the divine.  So, if you hold a different political position on one of those matters you are at best a fool and at worst evil.  Either way you are standing against the will of God, which happens to coincide with the political principles of Barack Obama.  Aren't we lucky?

Now, this I just found interesting:

GG: Who’s Jesus to you?

(He laughs nervously)

OBAMA: Right. Jesus is an historical figure for me, and he’s also a bridge between God and man, in the Christian faith, and one that I think is powerful precisely because he serves as that means of us reaching something higher.

And he’s also a wonderful teacher. I think it’s important for all of us, of whatever faith, to have teachers in the flesh and also teachers in history.

So what have we got here?  Obama thinks Jesus is A) an historical figure, B) a bridge between God and man, and C) a wonderful teacher.  The truth is there is nothing particularly Christian about those views.  Muslims, for example, hold much the same view of Jesus.  It is Christians who believe Jesus is the son of God, the redeemer of our sins, the maker of a new covenant…in short the Messiah.  All of the specifically Christian views of Jesus seem to have escaped Obama's notice, or they have been rejected. 

Which is it?  I don't know, but it sure seems like Barry Obama is one weird guy.

Stuff You Can’t Make Up…

…but this sure does fit a pattern many vainly try to claim doesn't exist.  From The Dude Abides:

At 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 27, 2004, when I was the religion reporter (I am now its religion columnist) at the Chicago Sun-Times, I met then-State Sen. Barack Obama at Café Baci, a small coffee joint at 330 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago, to interview him exclusively about his spirituality. Our conversation took place a few days after he'd clinched the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat that he eventually won. We spoke for more than an hour. He came alone. He answered everything I asked without notes or hesitation. The profile of Obama that grew from the interview at Cafe Baci became the first in a series in the Sun-Times called "The God Factor," that eventually became my first book, The God Factor: Inside the Spiritual Lives of Public People (FSG, March 2006.) Because of the staggering interest in now U.S. Sen. Obama's faith and spiritual predilections, I thought it might be helpful to share that interivew…

The money quote:

GG:
Do you believe in sin?

OBAMA:
Yes.

GG:
What is sin?

OBAMA:
Being out of alignment with my values.

Don't share the O's values?  Welcome to sin my friends.