Obama's Prayer from the Wailing Wall Leaked

Senator Barack Obama probably thought that the prayer he penned in the solitude of his King David hotel room in Jerusalem would remain between him and the Almighty. But an Orthodox Jewish student had other ideas.

Following Jewish tradition, Obama donned a yarmulke and went to the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, where shortly before dawn on Thursday he stuffed his prayer into a crevass between the giant white stones, hewn over 2,000 years ago. Traditionally such prayers, and there are over a million every year, some arriving by fax and email, are collected twice a year and buried on the Mount of Olives. It is considered taboo to read the prayers.

But after Obama and his entourage left the sacred site, an orthodox seminary student went to the Wall, fished out Obama's personal note and delivered it to Maariv newspaper, which duly printed the senator's prayer.

The newspaper's decision to publish Obama's private words was "an outrage", said Rabbbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, supervisor of the Western Wall. "It damages the personal, deep part of every one of us that we keep to ourselves," the rabbi told Army Radio. "The note placed between the stones of the Western Wall are between a person and his maker. It is forbidden to read them or make use of them."

Obama didn't pray for an election victory, a lottery win to help pay for his campaign, or for his Republican rival Senator John McCain to be felled by lightning or a pecadillo. On the contrary; his prayer hints at the struggle within, how Obama is seeking divine guidance to surmount the obstacles that lie ahead of him in his lonely, awesome challenge to become the next president of the United States. On hotel stationary, he penned the following prayer, according to Maariv, which ran a photo of the note: "Lord, protect my family and me," Obama wrote. "Forgive me my sins and help me guard against pride and despair. Give me the wisdom to do what is right and just. And make me an instrument of your will."

Obama, now finishing up the European leg of his tour, has not commented on his private prayer being made public in Jerusalem

Obama Speech in Berlin Part One

Obama Speech in Berlin Part Two

Obama Speech in Berlin Part Three

Obama visits Afghanistan to tour war zone

The Illinois senator arrived Saturday in Kabul as part of an official congressional delegation and then flew to eastern Afghanistan. Staff. Sgt. David Hopkins said Obama and two other senators were making a brief stop in Jalalabad airfield, in Nangarhar province, to visit with soldiers stationed there.

The delegation also met with top military leaders and troops at Bagram Air Base, the main U.S. military base in the country, according to a U.S. military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity because the officer was not authorized to release the information.

Obama's first visit to Afghanistan, coming less than four months before the general election, was rich with political implications. Republican presidential rival John McCain has criticized Obama for his lack of time in the region. Obama is also expected to stop later in Iraq.

En route to Afghanistan, Obama stopped Friday at Camp Arifjan, the main U.S. military base in Kuwait and a major gateway for U.S. soldiers moving into and out of Iraq.

Lt. Col. Bill Nutter, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Kuwait, said, "He talked to soldiers and constituents and met with senior military leadership."

During the two-hour visit, Nutter said, the officers gave him an overview of operations. Obama shook hands, answered questions, posed for photos and played a little basketball during the visit.

Sultan Ahmad Baheen, spokesman for Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry, said Saturday that Obama would meet with President Hamid Karzai during his visit.

"I look forward to seeing what the situation on the ground is," Obama told a pair of reporters who accompanied him to his departure from Andrews Air Force Base on Thursday. "I want to, obviously, talk to the commanders and get a sense both in Afghanistan and in Baghdad of, you know, what the most, their biggest concerns are, and I want to thank our troops for the heroic work that they've been doing."

Underscoring the challenges in Afghanistan, authorities reported Saturday that a roadside bomb killed four policemen in the volatile south of the country where the Taliban-led insurgency is intensifying nearly seven years after a U.S.-led invasion ousted the militant movement from power.

Obama advocates ending the U.S. combat role in Iraq by withdrawing troops at the rate of one to two combat brigades a month. But he supports increasing the military commitment to Afghanistan, where the Taliban has been resurgent and Osama bin laden is believed to be hiding.

Obama recently chided Karzai and his government, saying it had "not gotten out of the bunker" and helped to organize the country or its political and security institutions.

Also on his itinerary later in the trip is a meeting with Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi leader. On the campaign trail, Obama has said one benefit of withdrawing U.S. troops is that it would pressure al-Maliki to shore up his government as well.

Nonetheless, he said he did not plan to reiterate those messages in person.

"I'm more interested in listening than doing a lot of talking, and I think it's very important to recognize that I'm going over there as a U.S. senator," he said. "We have one president at a time."

The duration and details of Obama's stay in Afghanistan have not been formally disclosed, and media access was limited.

Traveling with Obama were Sens. Chuck Hagel, a Nebraska Republican and Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island. The senators, both military veterans, have been mentioned as potential Obama vice presidential running mates, but Reed has said he's not interested in the job.

By NAHAL TOOSI, Associated Press Writer
58 minutes ago

KABUL, Afghanistan - Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama started a campaign-season tour of combat zones and foreign capitals, visiting with U.S. forces in Kuwait and then Afghanistan — the scene of a war he says deserves more attention and more troops.

In a speech this week, Obama said the war in Iraq was a distraction, unlike the fighting in Afghanistan.

"This is a war that we have to win," he said. "I will send at least two additional combat brigades to Afghanistan, and use this commitment to seek greater contributions — with fewer restrictions — from NATO allies.

"I will focus on training Afghan security forces and supporting an Afghan judiciary, with more resources and incentives for American officers who perform these missions."

By contrast, his opposition to the war in Iraq — and call for an end to the U.S. combat role — helped him overcome his rivals in the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination.


Lately, his efforts to explain how he will use what he learns from U.S. commanders to refine his proposals have brought charges from Republicans and complaints from Democratic liberals that he seems to be shifting his Iraq policy toward the political center. But Obama maintains his basic goal of ending the U.S. combat role soon remains unchanged and that he's always said the U.S. withdrawal must be done carefully.

Obama also arranged to visit Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and England, traveling aboard a jet chartered by his presidential campaign, before his return to the United States. The weeklong trip marks his only foreign excursion as a presidential candidate; McCain has visited Canada, Colombia and Mexico, in part to highlight Obama's opposition to trade deals with those allies.

Few citizens in impoverished Afghanistan were aware of Obama's unannounced visit, and few have been following the U.S. presidential race, being too busy eking out an existence amid soaring violence and with limited access to news media.

But some interviewed Saturday said they would welcome an Obama presidency if he could help their country end the fighting, corruption and poverty that have crippled it for so long.

"Obama is a good person," said Abdul Basir, 40, a former army officer. "During his campaign I heard he was saying that if I become president I will withdraw the U.S. troops from Iraq and bring them to Afghanistan and I will attack on the terror center on other side of border (in Pakistan). It is very important and I appreciated that."

___

Petraeus, The General Bush claims to listen to apparently has gotten his facts from old Obama talking points!

By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 16, 2008; Page A06

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates warned yesterday against the risk of a "creeping militarization" of U.S. foreign policy, saying the State Department should lead U.S. engagement with other countries, with the military playing a supporting role.
"We cannot kill or capture our way to victory" in the long-term campaign against terrorism, Gates said, arguing that military action should be subordinate to political and economic efforts to undermine extremism.

In a related development, the Pentagon yesterday released the list of Army officers nominated by President Bush for promotion to the rank of one-star general, marking a new generation of Army leaders. The list, resulting from a selection board led by Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, includes several officers skilled in the counterinsurgency doctrine that Petraeus helped write -- a doctrine that embraces a broader approach to winning conflicts centered on protecting and providing for local populations.


Army officers on the list, many of whom have served repeatedly in Iraq or Afghanistan, include Col. Sean B. MacFarland, Col. H.R. McMaster, Col. Stephen J. Townsend and Col. Jeffrey J. Snow. The list also includes several commanders of Special Operations forces with multiple combat tours, such as Col. Kenneth E. Tovo, Col. Edward M. Reeder, Col. Paul J. LaCamera and Col. Austin S. Miller.

The list has been highly anticipated in Army circles because of Petraeus's role and the belief -- expressed by Gates and others -- that Army promotions must harness the experience forged by today's counterinsurgencies and help shape a future Army less narrowly focused on conventional combat. Officers on the list must be confirmed by the Senate.

In cautioning yesterday against overreliance on the tool of military combat operations, Gates pressed ahead with a personal initiative -- rare amid the bureaucratic turf battling in Washington -- to bolster the civilian efforts that he considers vital to U.S. success overseas. Late last year, Gates raised eyebrows when he called for a substantial increase in the State Department budget.

"America's civilian institutions of diplomacy and development have been chronically undermanned and underfunded for far too long -- relative to what we traditionally spend on the military, and more importantly, relative to the responsibilities and challenges our nation has around the world," Gates said at a dinner organized by the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign, according to prepared remarks of his speech.

Over the next 20 years, Gates predicted, "the most persistent and potentially dangerous threats will come less from emerging ambitious states, than from failing ones that cannot meet the basic needs -- much less the aspirations -- of their people."

Gates was honored at the event for supporting increases in the U.S. international affairs budget that funds the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development and other agencies. He said that despite a doubling of that budget since 2001, much of the growth has been consumed by security costs and offset by the declining value of the U.S. dollar. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave a tribute to Gates at the event.

"Broadly speaking, when it comes to America's engagement with the rest of the world, it is important that the military is -- and is clearly seen to be -- in a supporting role to civilian agencies," Gates said.

Nevertheless, he said that in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond, the U.S. military is increasingly involved in activities once handled by civilian agencies. "This has led to concern among many organizations, including probably many represented here tonight, about what's seen as a creeping 'militarization' of some aspects of America's foreign policy," he said. "This is not an entirely unreasonable sentiment," he said.

"As a career CIA officer, I watched with some dismay the increasing dominance of the defense 800-pound gorilla in the intelligence arena over years," said Gates, who served in the CIA for more than two decades, including as director in the early 1990s. But he said that scenario can be avoided by ensuring civilian agencies are adequately funded and well led, by coordinating efforts on the ground, and by clearly defining "the authorities, roles and missions of military versus civilian efforts and how they fit, or in some cases don't fit, together."

McCain and his "Bush League" Pal don't even know where the war is...check out who is praising Obama....the "New Kid on the Block"

'America already has one Dr. Phil'

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Democrat Barack Obama ridiculed an economic adviser to Republican rival John McCain on Thursday for dubbing the United States "a nation of whiners" and suggesting the country is in a "mental recession."
Phil Gramm, a former Texas senator who is a vice chairman of the Swiss bank UBS, made the remarks in an interview with The Washington Times. Gramm has a doctorate in economics.


"America already has one Dr. Phil. We don't need another one when it comes to the economy," Obama said during a town-hall event focused on helping women advance economically.

Obama drew cheers and laughter with that comment and boos and hisses when he read Gramm's quotes to the crowd. He contrasted them with rising gas and food prices, home foreclosures and job layoffs.

"It's not just a figment of your imagination," Obama said. "Let's be clear. This economic downturn is not in your head.It isn't whining to ask government to step in and give families some relief," he said, drawing a standing ovation from the nearly 3,000 people in a high school gymnasium. "And I think it's time we had a president who doesn't deny our problems or blame the American people for them but takes responsibility and provides the leadership to solve them."

The economy is the top issue of voters, and, thus, has become the No. 1 issue in the presidential campaign as each candidate seeks to portray the other as out of touch with the country's struggles and himself as the leader able to pull the nation out of tenuous times. As he sought to differentiate himself from McCain, Obama seized on quotes attributed to Gramm by the Washington newspaper.

"You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession," Gramm told the Times. He noted that growth has held up at about 1% despite all the publicity over losing jobs to India, China, illegal immigration, housing and credit problems and record oil prices. "We may have a recession; we haven't had one yet.We have sort of become a nation of whiners," Gramm said. "You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of
competitiveness,America in decline" despite a major export boom that is the primary reason that growth continues in the economy, he said.

As readers of this blog know.....I am from Texas. I wrote a letter to Phil Gramm when he was our Senator. He was just as cold blooded then. My Mother, a life long Republican who helped to elect him needed his help with her Medicare and Social Security. I wrote him and told him about how she devoted her time and care to him.
I never heard back a word from him. Kay Bailey Hutchinson wrote me back asking for money. Phil Gramm is a self centered sanctimonious delusional man who would steal when he doesn't have to. He epitomizes the economic principals of Reaganomics that
espouse the GOP philosophy of "I got mine, get your own or you are just a lazy fool".

Barack walks the walk AND the talk to show clean election fianace....God Bless.

John McCain who loves to claim that he reached across the aisle to Feingold to create the same campaign "reform" that gave birth to the same non-profits like "Swiftboat Veterans" from the last election who torpedoed his fellow decorated Vietnam vet John Kerry who also obviously served with distinction and who had to endure a GOP Convention where these people supported current troops by wearing purple heart bandaids. As the daughter of a veteran who wore Nazi Schrapnel, I will always resent this.Try to flip flop on the photos of the people who proudly wore these John McCain. Shameful. I don't care how many medals you get. One aw shit wipes the board clean. Note, this in no way reflects the opinions of Barack Obama or any member of his campaign. This is a first Amendment contribution given without endorsement or reflection of the campaign.

It's like they said in the Watergate investigation, follow the money. McCain says that he is a "Renegade" but he does not define the lyrics of the Warren Zevon's song of that title with his current campaign. He has so many lobbyists that they have cell phones and laptops working even as the "Straight Talking" bus burns expensive gas on the road to Bush III the continuation of our nighmare.

Read the numbers John and learn how it is done without lobby money and K-Street
backing!

Source of Funds
Individual contributions $286,382,376 100%
PAC contributions $-650 -0%
Candidate self-financing $0 0%
Federal Funds $0 0%
Other $1,016,219 0%

How complete are this candidate's campaign finance reports?
Full Disclosure $157,809,538 (94.1%)
Incomplete $0
No Disclosure $9,872,699 (5.9%)

NOTE: All the numbers on this page are for the 2008 election cycle and based on Federal Election Commission data released electronically on Monday, June 30, 2008.
Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics. For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center.

Found on Open Secrets Web Page.....http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.php?cid=N00009638&cycle=2008

The Obama Family. Unscripted normal kids. How great is that?