Barbara's Daily BuzzFlash Minute for June 4, 2008

BARBARA'S DAILY BUZZFLASH MINUTE

HOORAY for Americans and Congratulations to Barack Obama! He is head, shoulders, and class above the others!

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Just in case anyone may still be wondering why: “Obama's speech was all about his country - about moving forward in common purpose toward a brighter future. Clinton's speech was all about Clinton - about what she had achieved, about how many people had voted for her, about all the fighting she'd continue to do …”! Obama’s focus is on America and the American people, Clinton is still wrapped up in herself, and that is the answer to WHY Obama is the best candidate for President of the United States of America! He is change, he is hope, and he is for the future of America!!!

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John McCain’s speech last night was a reflection of what America can expect from him if he were to win the general election in November, and it ain’t good! For once the pundits on CNN were correct and they honestly summed it up in a nutshell: “TOOBIN: What about that McCain speech? ... (LAUGHTER) … That was awful. That was pathetic. I mean that was -- he looked awful. He was cata -- I mean that audience that was this handful of people. You've got 20,000 people in Minnesota and like a couple hundred in Louisiana, where he's struggling to read the teleprompter. I mean I thought that was one of the worst speeches that I've seen him give? ALEX CASTELLANOS, REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT: Well, last I checked, this was not a speech making contest, thank God ... (LAUGHTER) ... because Barack Obama is the Secretariat of speech making. And if that's what this election is going to be about, it's going to be tough for Republicans … We're just trying to lower expectations right now ... (LAUGHTER) … It could have been a little more vibrant, let's face facts … Right now, it's going to be tough for a lot of Republicans to fill an arena.” Actually there were over 30,000 people for Obama’s speech in Minnesota, which should give Repuglicans a clue come November!

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“It’s … clear to me that Scooter Libby was guilty of the perjury and obstruction crimes for which he was convicted. When the president commuted Libby’s prison sentence and thereby protected him from serving even one day behind bars, I was disappointed. This kind of special treatment undermines our system of justice. ... President Bush certainly has the right and the power to commute Libby’s sentence. But in choosing to do so, he sent an unfortunate message to America and the world—that in the United States criminal behavior on behalf of a political cause may go unpunished if those who support that cause have the power to make it happen.” Oh, Scottie, hero worship must have blinded you to the facts, The Repuglicans in general, and the Bush family in particular, have been using their political positions and connections for “special treatment” of their cohorts in crime for a long long time and “pardons” aren’t all the only reprehensible things they’ve done. There was that matter of Iran-Contra, remember that one, when “fourteen administration officials were charged with crimes, and eleven convicted, including Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger.[9] They were all pardoned in the final days of the George H. W. Bush presidency, who had been vice-president at the time.[10]” Of course these “pardons” occurred only after arrangements were made to release American hostages after the infamous “October Surprise” and the Reagan election!

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“The former first lady will [did] stop short of formally suspending or ending her race in her speech in New York City…. The advisers said Clinton has made a strategic decision to not formally end her campaign, giving her leverage to negotiate with Obama on various matters including a possible vice presidential nomination for her. She also wants to press him on issues …” Essentially this is political blackmail and reflects exactly how her campaign has been run since the get go. It’s also the main reason why she lost!!! It does absolutely nothing for uniting the Democratic Party and reflects her “me” not "we" stance!

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A funny thing happened while surfing the net, information obtained is knowledge gained, and sometimes it’s full of surprises! “Many Americans are unaware that declassified information reveals the CIA helped overthrow an Iranian Prime Minister in 1953 and thwart 1980 hostage negotiations to defeat US President Jimmy Carter.” Amazing what a tid-bit here and a tid-bit there can do to bring the sunshine in to “clandestine” government affairs; and it’s appalling to find out exactly what men are capable of in their pursuit of power! “Robert Parry’s book Secrecy and Privilege was published in 2004. Parry’s interview with Ari Ben-Menashe (Israeli military intelligence officer 1977-1987) for PBS Frontline and subsequently in testimony to Congress revealed that the now Secretary of Defense Gates was a key October Surprise operative. Ben-Menashe also revealed he and Gates attended a 1986 meeting with a Chilean arms manufacturer (Cardoen) who was supplying chemical weapons to Saddam Hussein. Ben-Menashe’s book, Profits of War, describes the Paris Ritz Hotel meeting that followed the October 15th Carter administration leak. At that meeting Gates, McFarlane, Casey, and George H. W. Bush met with Iranian cleric Karrubi. French investigative reporter Claude Angeli confirmed the French secret service provided “cover” for this meeting between the Republicans and Iranians on the weekend of October 18-19. This meeting, by delaying the hostage release, effectively determined that Ronald Reagan would become the president of the United States. The fact that Reagan insiders had arranged for Iran to keep the hostages an additional 76 days served to successfully shape the Iran Contra scandal investigations with the false perception that US weapons were shipped to Iran starting in 1985. Reagan initiated Iranian weapon shipments actually started in 1981. During the Iran Contra investigations, to explore Reagan’s pre-1985 conduct would have revealed to the American people that acts of treason successfully enabled Reagan to seize power.”

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“Gary Sick, an American diplomat wrote [in] ‘The October Surprise’ that the Reagan presidential campaign negotiated with Iran to delay the release of the hostages until after Reagan won the election. Gary Sick was a member of the Carter administration and a member of staff of the National Security Council from August 1976 to April 1981. According to his congressional testimony he said ‘In the course of hundreds of interviews in the US, Europe and the Middle East, I’ve been told repeatedly that individuals associated with the Reagan Bush campaign of 1980 met secretly with Iranian officials to delay the release of the American hostages until after the Presidential election. For this favor, Iran was rewarded with a substantial supply of arms from Israel.’ In a series of meetings from October 15th to October 20th 1980 events came to a head in meetings in Paris. ‘Accounts of these meetings vary, There is, however, widespread agreement on a number of points.’ One, ‘William Casey, Reagan’s campaign manager was a key participant. Two, Iranian representatives agreed that the hostages would not be released prior to the presidential election on November 4th. Three, ‘Israel would serve as a conduit for arms and spare parts to Iran.’ ‘At least five of the sources that said they were at these meetings insist that George H.W. Bush was present at least for one meeting. Resources say they saw him there.’”

BARBARA'S DAILY BUZZFLASH MINUTE

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