Obama's Speech to California Democratic Party Convention

**Remarks of Senator Barack Obama to the California Democratic Party Convention provided by Lynn Sweet of The Scoop from Washington.**


San Diego, CA- Senator Barack Obama is scheduled to deliver the following remarks to the California Democratic Party Convention today, April 28, 2007.

As Prepared for Delivery:
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It has now been a little over two months since we began this campaign. In that time we have traveled all across this country. And before every event we do, I usually have a minute to sit quietly and collect my thoughts. And recently, I’ve found myself reflecting on what it was that led me to public service in the first place.

I live in Chicago now, but I am not a native of that great city. I moved there when I was just a year out of college, and a group of churches offered me a job as a community organizer so I could help rebuild neighborhoods that had been devastated by the closing of steel plants.

The salary was $12,000 a year plus enough money to buy an old, beat-up car, and so I took the job and drove out to Chicago, where I didn’t know a soul. And during the time I was there, we worked to set up job training programs for the unemployed and after school programs for kids.

And it was the best education I ever had, because I learned in those neighborhoods that when ordinary people come together, they can achieve extraordinary things.

After three years, I went back to law school. I left there with a degree and a lifetime of debt, but I turned down the corporate job offers so I could come back to Chicago and organize a voter registration drive. I also started a civil rights practice, and began to teach constitutional law.

And after a few years, people started coming up to me and telling me I should run for state Senate. So I did what every man does when he’s faced with a big decision – I prayed, and I asked my wife. And after consulting those two higher powers, I decided to get in the race.

And everywhere I’d go, I’d get two questions. First, they’d ask, “Where’d you get that funny name, Barack Obama?” Because people just couldn’t pronounce it. They’d call me “Alabama,” or they’d call me “Yo Mama.” And I’d tell them that my father was from Kenya, and that’s where I got my name. And my mother was from Kansas, and that’s where I got my accent from.

And the second thing people would ask me was, “You seem like a nice young man. You’ve done all this great work. You’ve been a community organizer, and you teach law school, you’re a civil rights attorney, you’re a family man – why would you wanna go into something dirty and nasty like politics?”

And I understand the question, and the cynicism. We all understand it.

We understand it because we get the sense today that politics has become a business and not a mission. In the last several years, we have seen Washington become a place where keeping score of who’s up and who’s down is more important than who’s working on behalf of the American people.

We have been told that our mounting debts don’t matter, that the economy is doing great, and so Americans should be left to face their anxiety about rising health care costs and disappearing pensions on their own.

We’ve been told that climate change is a hoax, that our broken schools cannot be fixed, that we are destined to send millions of dollars a day to Mideast dictators for their oil. And we’ve seen how a foreign policy based on bluster and bombast can lead us into a war that should’ve never been authorized and never been waged.

And when we try to have an honest debate about the crises we face, whether it’s on the Senate floor or a Sunday talk show, the conversation isn’t about finding common ground, it’s about finding someone to blame. We’re divided into Red States and Blue States, and told to always point the finger at somebody else – the other party, or gay people, or immigrants.

For good reason, the rest of us have become cynical about what politics can achieve in this country, and as we’ve turned away in frustration, we know what’s filled the void. The lobbyists and influence-peddlers with the cash and the connections – the ones who’ve turned government into a game only they can afford to play. They write the checks and you get stuck with the bills, they get the access while you get to write a letter, they think they own this government, but we’re here to tell them it’s not for sale.

People tell me I haven’t spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I promise you this – I’ve been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change.

Barack Obama - The Author

Barack Obama's 1995 book, Dreams from My Father, is a memoir of his youth and early career. The book was reprinted in 2004 with a new preface and an annex containing his 2004 Democratic Convention keynote speech. The audio book edition earned Obama the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. In December 2004, Obama signed a US $1.9 million contract for three books.
The first of these book under contract, The Audacity of Hope, was published in October 2006. A Spanish translation will be published in June 2007, more than likely seeking an even broader range of readers throughout America. The second book covered under the publishing contract is a children's book to be co-written by his wife and daughters, with profits going to charity. The content of the third book has not yet been announced.

American soldier accused of aiding the enemy

A senior officer in the U.S. Army is facing nine charges, including aiding the enemy and fraternizing with the daughter of a detainee.

Lt. Col. William H. Steele commanded the 451st Military Police Detachment from Fort Cropper. The aiding the enemy charge comes from the fact that he gave unlimited and unmonitored phone calls to the detainees he was charged with securing.

He is also charged with possessing classified information that he was not supposed to have access to, stored classified information where it could have easily been seen by others or stolen as well as having several pornographic videos. A military spokesman said this was a case of improper relationships, not espionage, according to msnbc.com. He also said there is no evidence the classified information in Steele's possession was ever seen by or given to the enemy. He also stressed that theses were just allegations at the moment, but that actual charges are a future possibility.

As for the fraternizing with the daughter of a detainee, it is alleged that Steele knew the woman was the daughter of a detainee and that he had improper relations" with an interpreter.

The charges span from Oct. 2005 to Feb. 2007.

This is just the latest in a string of alleged abuses within military police units in Iraq.

Civil unions OK in New Hamshire

The New Hampshire legislature voted Thursday to allow civil unions between homosexual couples, according to msnbc.com.

New Hampshire joins three other Northeast states that allow civil unions: New Jersey, Connecticut and Vermont. Massachusetts is the only state in the country that allows gay marriage.

A spokesman for Gov. John Lynch said "The legislation is a matter of conscience, fairness and preventing discrimination. It is in keeping with New Hampshire's proud tradition of preventing discrimination."

This decision is a totally different view than New Hampshire has had on gay unions in the past. A study conducted a few years ago concluded that there was no need for the state to even consider the issue. However, the panel conducting the study concluded that homosexuality was indeed a choice, and therefore civil unions should be recognized, but that there should be constitutional limits. Gays in the state cannot be legally married.

The legislation passed 14-10 along party lines. The unions will be recognized Jan. 1, 2008.

Barack Obama - The High School Basketball Star

During Sen. Barack Obama's time spent growing up in Hawaii, he became quite the basketball player at the Punahou School, one of the state's top private schools. A documentary will be airing on ABC Nightly News tonight highlighting Obama's basketball career.

The 3,600 students of Punahou, came from a wide variety of backgrounds, with a blend of Polynesian, Asian, European and other cultures. Adding further validity to the statement, "Everybody in Hawaii is a minority."


During his tenture at the Punahou School, Barack Obama was known primarily for his appealing personality, his honesty and his aggressive play on the basketball court. These small stories of aggressiveness on the court, even during his adolescent years, continue to speak volumes of the Senators tenacity in all that he does.

John Edwards Biography

Biography of The Democratic Darkhorse

Full Name: John Reid Edwards
Party: Democratic
Political Office: U.S. Senator from North Carolina, 1999-2005
Business/Professional Experience: director, Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity at University of North Carolina School of Law, Feb 2005-Dec 2006; unsuccessful candidate for Democratic presidential nomination, 2004; unsuccessful candidate for Vice President, 2004; Partner, law firm of Edwards & Kirby (Raleigh, NC), 1993-1999
Date of Birth: June 10, 1953
Place of Birth: Seneca, South Carolina
Education: B.S., North Carolina State University, 1974; J.D., University North Carolina, 1977
Spouse: married Mary Elizabeth Anania, 1977
Children: son Lucius Wade (b. 1979- died 1996); daughter Catharine, born 1982; daughter Emma, born 1998; son Jack, born 2000
Religion: Methodist
Home: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Campaign Web Site: www.johnedwards.com

MSNBC: Top general in Iraq: 'Things could get worse'

General David Petraeus said today that the situation in Iraq could get a whole lot worse before before it gets easier.

According to msnbc.com, Petraeus said situation there is "exceedingly complex and very tough." He also said the war is "the most complex and challenging thing I have ever seen."

He acknowledged there have been some improvements and that some of them are visible, but that overall the situation is still terrible. Most of the improvements have been in Baghdad and the Anbar Province.

But, he said, the increase in number of suicide bombers and insurgent attacks, paired with the increased number of U.S. troops has caused the U.S. forces to suffer greater losses, but that if the U.S. leaves, the attacks will increase further, and more civilian lives will be lost.

Petraeus also talked about how strong Iranian influence is in Iraq, and how much damage that could do if the U.S. pulled out too quickly. But he stressed that even though there is a long, dangerous road ahead, the U.S. must continue their mission, or Iraq will basically self destruct.

Rice subpoenaed in uranium claim

A House committee subpoenaed Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice Wednesday to find out what she knew about a claim in 2003 that Iraq tried to get uranium from Niger, according to cnn.com. The claim was one of Pres. Bush's reasons for going to war with Iraq.

Two months after the invasion, the Bush administration backed off that claim after former diplomat Joe Wilson said he had been sent to Niger to investigate that claim. Soon after, Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame-Wilson, a CIA operative, was outed on NBC's "Meet the Press." It is thought the outing was retaliation against Wilson.

The committee's goal is to find out who knew what and when, to investigate whether or not the uranium claim was true (if not, it could be even worse for Bush's justification of the war).

GOP voters skeptical about Giuliani

Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani had to defend his positions on gun control and late-term abortions to GOP voters who are concerned the former mayor of New York City is not consistent in his stances.

In the past, Giuliani has been supportive of abortion rights, but backed the Supreme Court last week when they voted to uphold a ban on a procedure known as late-term abortion.

As for his stances on gun control, Giuliani was once an advocate for strong gun control laws, but now says he believes in an individual's right to bear arms with little government control, according to msnbc.com.

These views are more in line with what the popular Republican views are. As mayor, Giuliani was more moderate. What does this mean to voters?

According to msnbc.com, voters are skeptical about Giuliani's new image. Some believe his stance changes make him less trustworthy. They believe he could change his stances again in the future and be lees representative of the party and the views of the voters.

What does this mean for Giuliani's chances in the presidential race? While he could lose some Republican votes, he could gain moderate votes. We'll just have to wait and see.

Victims put a face on recent food scares

Victims of e coli outbreaks in recent months helped put a human side on the recent months food scares when they testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee earlier this week.

Those testifying were either the parents of victims or the victims themselves of the peanut butter and spinach scares that occurred late lat and early this year.

They called for tighter inspections on the farms, plants and transportation facilities that handle the foods that end up on America's grocery shelves. Some of the victims fell ill after eating lettuce at restaurants, most notably, Taco Bell.

A recent federal investigation found numerous problems in several food-handling facilities, including unsanitary conditions, failure to carry out health and safety inspections and employees failing to meet hygiene standards (makes you want to starve, doesn't it?)

Pets weren't immune to this problem either. In March, animals all over the country began to fall ill with a mysterious kidney disease and many died. The cause was tainted wheat gluten used in literally hundreds of food varieties. The source was traced back to a factory in China, and it has been suggested the tainting was intentional. Results on this most recent scare are not complete.