Whose Chief Political Advisor?
We all know that Jermiah Wright is the chief political adviser of the Obama campaign. After all, what else can account for the obsession with this man’s words in the media?OK, let’s get back to reality: Wright is not part of Obama’s campaign. But John McCain’s political adviser is a man named Charlie Black, a man who made money lobbying for some of the world’s nastiest thugs and dictators. Consider Jonas Savimbi, the Angolan rebel who plunged his country into perpetual civil war, fostered the blood diamond trade, engaged in widespread torture, personally beat to death an opponent’s wife and children, shelled civilians, sowed countless land mines, and then bombed a Red Cross-run factory making artificial legs for the victims. And he did all this with the funding from the US, in no small part due to Charlie Black, the man who is now chief political adviser to John McCain. Will there be outrage? Hardly. After all, lobbying is a respectable business while preaching a prophetic message in a black church about the sins of the US (in which Charlie Black has a hand) clearly is not.
May 14, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Well, if there need be a thread of guilt by association DNC / RNC talking points, here’s a beginning list of Obama’s troubling associations that has been around for a while. These are recent, continued relationships, and more will likely come to light given that Obama was an ambitious fellow in Chicago/Illinois, one of the few places that rivals Louisiana and New Jersey in political corruption.
Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi. A close friendship by all evidence. Rather unpopular in some quarters for his sympathies and statements.
Ali Abunimah, head of Electronic Intifada.
William Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn, domestic terrorists who sought to kill.
Reverend Jeremiah Wright. This one, rightfully, ain’t going away.
Robert Malley — had been holding talks with Hamas.
Hatem El-Hady, former official of the Hamas, head of charities that weren’t charities.
Tony Rezko. We’ll be hearing much more about this, especially if he talks.
May 14, 2008 at 8:00 pm
And let’s not forget Michelle Obama, whose senior thesis at Princeton makes the “Reverend” Wright seem somewhat tame.
May 14, 2008 at 8:03 pm
looking at the comments ection of one of the link above it seems the situation with Savimbi, was a tad more complicated
May 14, 2008 at 8:11 pm
I’ll bow out of this, but I have to say this sort of topic - including the content of my response - reeks of lame, low-brow hackery. I hope we are able to stay away from the commondreams and freerepublic stuff.
Savimbi was one of a sadly very long list of would-be Big Men in Africa, who would talk in whatever was necessary to get him and his tribe/friends/relatives funds and weapons. This was especially rampant during the Cold War. Decades ago, Savimbi had anti-Communists excited because he could eloquently speak the language of peace and love and open markets and political transparency. But he was another power hungry failure for a tragic continent.
You want to tie McCain to this? Please. Should we have posts running down FDR and Truman for Stalin, the example to those who followed about how much it could pay to talk peace and love and good governance?
May 14, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Let’s not forget Douglas Goodyear, the McCain aide picked to run the 2008 Republican National Convention, who recently resigned after a report is published showing that his lobbying firm used to represent the military regime in Myanmar.
And, if wives are not off-limits, Cindy McCain recently divested millions of dollars she invested in Sudan, a government her husband publicly admonishes regulary. She also refuses to make public her tax returns, saying she never will. And then there are her past transgressions of stealing opiate-related drugs from her own charitable organization and firing the organization’s boss whenever the latter refused to lie for her in an attempt at coverup.
Need we mention again Rod Parsley, one of McCain’s “spiritual advisers’ and the lovely Chuckles Hagee, whose endorsement McCain sought after for a year. The former state’s that America was put on earth for the providential purpose of destroying Islam in an all out conflict, and the latter has been making big bucks predicting the end times in a soon too come nuclear showdown in the Middle East. Also, according to Hagee, God did damn America (New Orleans) for the latter’s willingness to stage, of all things, a gay pride parade.
May 15, 2008 at 4:01 am
For God’s sake, this nefarious individual is McCain’s chief political advisor. And I see you are still mentioning Wright but not Hagee or Parsley– a hypocrisy I posted on before the mainstream media figured out their own inconsistency. This, of course, has everything to do with the subtle racist distinctions between black and white protestant churches.
So, get back to me when McCain picks a political advisor who had actually fawned over murderers and terrorists. Otherwwise, please do bow out, for the sake of credibility if nothing else.
May 15, 2008 at 6:28 am
I’m really SICK TO DEATH of ALL of you: this practice of “guilt by association” when there are so many pressing concerns to discuss in this election is DESPICABLE. It’s DEMAGOGIC, and it represents the most basic corruption of American democracy. Unless you avoid it this election year, history is going to say of you Americans that you SOLD your proud heritage of republican democracy and, in a time of stark decision-making over choices that will affect the entire planet, allowed yourselves to become distracted by TRIVIALITIES.
Real Statesmen MUST make associations with unsavoury characters, in order, sometimes, to secure their nation’s interests. Such is the nature of realpolitik in a very dangerous world. At the same time, a rising politician MUST associate himself with ALL the elements of the community he seeks to represent, and that DOES NOT mean that he approves of the “agendas” of every single person who is his NEIGHBOUR.
WHEN will all of you left and right-wing idealogues realise that those of your fellow citizens whose lives are actually being TORN UP by certain governmental issues and policies are NOT INTERESTED in this crap?
May 15, 2008 at 9:00 am
Yeah, let’s stick to substantive issues. Like Obama denying care to infants who survive abortions. Talk about DISPICABLE. Only a real DEMAGOGUE could support such unmitigated EVIL against the most helpless NEIGHBOR in need.
May 15, 2008 at 1:12 pm
As terrible as abortion is (like unjust war, like torture, like violations of civil liberties), it is NOT the abrogation of a CITIZEN’S rights. (Sorry, but in civil law, a foetus is NOT a “citizen.”)
May 15, 2008 at 2:47 pm
That’s THE problem. The UNBORN CHILD is a PERSON and ENTITLED to ALL RIGHTS of every citizen.
May 15, 2008 at 9:09 pm
No word on the NARAL endorsement, MM?