Obama/Biden Ticket
August 23, 2008
Barack Obama / Joe Biden 2008
Barack Obama Mobile Fun!
August 22, 2008
Sign up to the right to receive text messages on your phone or text GO to OBAMA (62262).
By signing up, you can expect periodic updates from the campaign as well as advance notice about local Obama events and important updates about Barack’s public appearances. We value your privacy and will not share your information outside the campaign.
Txt STOP to quit, HELP for help or call 877-822-5093. Standard service charges may apply.
For high-volume text users (once every few days) Follow Barack’s updates and schedule on Twitter, a text messaging social network. Simply text FOLLOW BARACKOBAMA to 40404. For more information on Twitter visit: www.twitter.com/barackobama (This service is separate from Obama Mobile)
To receive specific issue updates, text
HEALTH to OBAMA (62262)
healthcare policy updates
EDUCATION to OBAMA (62262)
education policy updates
IRAQ to OBAMA (62262)
updates on bringing our troops home
JOBS to OBAMA (62262)
economic policy updates
REFORM to OBAMA (62262)
updates on cleaning up Washington & taking on special interests
Obama Ringtones
* Text ringtone1 to 62262
* Text ringtone2 to 62262
* Text ringtone3 to 62262
* Text ringtone4 to 62262
* Text ringtone5 to 62262
* Text ringtone6 to 62262
* Text ringtone7 to 62262
* Text ringtone8 to 62262
* Text ringtone9 to 62262
* Text ringtone10 to 62262
* Text ringtone11 to 62262
* Text ringtone12 to 62262
Source: http://www.barackobama.com/mobilev2/
Remarks of Barack Obama
August 22, 2008
Remarks of Senator Barack Obama at the VFW National Convention
Orlando, FL | August 19, 2008
Thank you, Commander Lisicki, for your leadership. Let me also acknowledge the leadership of Virginia Carman, the president of the VFW ladies auxiliary, as well as my friend Jim Webb who will be speaking here later today. Finally, let me thank all of the members of theVeterans of Foreign Wars of the United States of America for inviting me back to this convention. It is a privilege to be among so many who have given so much for our country.
I stand before you today at a defining moment in our history. We are inthe midst of two wars. The terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 are still at large. Russia has invaded the sovereign nation of Georgia. Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. The next Commander-in-Chief is going to haveto exercise the best possible judgment in getting us through these difficult times.
Yesterday, Senator McCain came before you. He is a man who has served this nation honorably, and he correctly stated that one of the chief criteria for the American people in this election is going to be who can exercise the best judgment as Commander in Chief. But instead of just offering policy answers, he turned to a typical laundry list of political attacks. He said that I have changed my position on Iraq when I have not. He said that I am for a path of “retreat and failure.” And he declared, “Behind all of these claims and positions by Senator Obama lies the ambition to be president” - suggesting, as he has so many times, that I put personal ambition before my country.
That is John McCain’s prerogative. He can run that kind of campaign, and- frankly - that’s how political campaigns have been run in recentyears. But I believe the American people are better than that. I believe that this defining moment demands something more of us.
If we think that we can secure our country by just talking tough without acting tough and smart, then we will misunderstand this moment and miss its opportunities. If we think that we can use the same partisan playbook where we just challenge our opponent’s patriotism to win an election, then the American people will lose. The times are too serious for this kind of politics. The calamity left behind by the last eight years is too great. So let me begin by offering my judgment about what we’ve done, where we are, and where we need to go.
Six years ago, I stood up at a time when it was politically difficult to oppose going to war in Iraq, and argued that our first priority had tobe finishing the fight against Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Senator McCain was already turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, and he became a leading supporter of an invasion and occupation of a country that had absolutely nothing to do with the 9/11attacks, and that - as despicable as Saddam Hussein was - posed no imminent threat to the American people. Two of the biggest beneficiaries of that decision were al Qaeda’s leadership, which no longer faced the pressure of America’s focused attention; and Iran, which has advanced its nuclear program, continued its support for terror, and increased its influence in Iraq and the region.
In the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, I warned that war would fan the flames of extremism in the Middle East, create new centers of terrorism,and tie us down in a costly and open-ended occupation. Senator McCain predicted that we’d be greeted as liberators, and that the Iraqis would bear the cost of rebuilding through their bountiful oil revenues. For the good of our country, I wish he had been right, and I had been wrong.But that’s not what history shows.
Senator McCain now argues that despite these costly strategic errors,his judgment has been vindicated due to the results of the surge. Let me once again praise General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker - they are outstanding Americans. In Iraq, gains have been made in lowering the level of violence thanks to the outstanding efforts of our military, the increasing capability of Iraq’s Security Forces, the ceasefire of Shiite militias, and the decision taken by Sunni tribes to take the fight to alQaeda. Those are the facts, and all Americans welcome them.
But understand what the essential argument was about. Before the surge,I argued that the long-term solution in Iraq is political - the Iraqi government must reconcile its differences and take responsibility for its future. That holds true today. We have lost over a thousand American lives and spent hundreds of billions of dollars since the surge began,but Iraq’s leaders still haven’t made hard compromises or substantial investments in rebuilding their country. Our military is badly overstretched - a fact that has surely been noted in capitals around the world. And while we pay a heavy price in Iraq - and Americans pay record prices at the pump - Iraq’s government is sitting on a $79 billion dollar budget surplus from windfall oil profits.
Let’s be clear: our troops have completed every mission they’ve been given. They have created the space for political reconciliation. Now it must be filled by an Iraqi government that reconciles its differences and spends its oil profits to meet the needs of its people. Iraqi inaction threatens the progress we’ve made and creates an opening forIran and the “special groups” it supports. It’s time to press the Iraqis to take responsibility for their future. The best way to do that is a responsible redeployment of our combat brigades, carried out in close consultation with commanders on the ground. We can safely redeploy at apace that removes our combat brigades in 16 months. That would be well into 2010 - seven years after the war began. After this redeployment,we’ll keep a residual force to target remnants of al Qaeda; to protector service members and diplomats; and to train Iraq’s Security Forces if the Iraqis make political progress.
Iraq’s democratically-elected Prime Minister has embraced this time frame. Now it’s time to succeed in Iraq by turning Iraq over to its sovereign government. We should not keep sending our troops to fight tour after tour of duty while our military is overstretched. We should not keep spending $10 billion a month in Iraq while Americans struggle in a sluggish economy. Ending the war will allow us to invest in America, to strengthen our military, and to finish the fight against alQaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and the border region of Pakistan.
This is the central front in the war on terrorism. This is where theTaliban is gaining strength and launching new attacks, including one that just took the life of ten French soldiers. This is where Osama binLaden and the same terrorists who killed nearly 3,000 Americans on our own soil are hiding and plotting seven years after 9/11. This is a warthat we have to win. And as Commander-in-Chief, I will have no greater priority than taking out these terrorists who threaten America, and finishing the job against the Taliban.
For years, I have called for more resources and more troops to finish the fight in Afghanistan. With his overwhelming focus on Iraq, Senator McCain argued that we could just “muddle through” in Afghanistan, and only came around to supporting my call for more troops last month. Now,we need a policy of “more for more” - more from America and our NATO allies, and more from the Afghan government. That’s why I’ve called for at least two additional U.S. combat brigades and an additional $1billion in non-military assistance for Afghanistan, with a demand for more action from the Afghan government to take on corruption and counternarcotics, and to improve the lives of the Afghan people.
We must also recognize that we cannot succeed in Afghanistan or secure America as long as there is a terrorist safe-haven in northwest Pakistan. A year ago, I said that we must take action against bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights and Pakistan cannot or will not act. Senator McCain criticized me and claimed that I was for”bombing our ally.” So for all of his talk about following Osama binLaden to the Gates of Hell, Senator McCain refused to join my call to take out bin Laden across the Afghan border. Instead, he spent years backing a dictator in Pakistan who failed to serve the interests of his own people.
I argued for years that we need to move from a “Musharraf policy” to a”Pakistan policy.” We must move beyond an alliance built on mere convenience or a relationship with one man. Now, with President Musharraf’s resignation, we have the opportunity to do just that. That’s why I’ve cosponsored a bill to triple non-military aid to the Pakistani people, while ensuring that the military assistance we do provide issued to take the fight to the Taliban and al Qaeda in the tribal regions of Pakistan.
Today, our attention is also on the Republic of Georgia, and Senator McCain and I both strongly support the people of Georgia and the Americans delivering humanitarian aid. There is no possible justification for Russia’s actions. Russian troops have yet to begin the withdrawal required by the cease-fire signed by their president, and weare hearing reports of Russian atrocities: burning wheat fields, brutal killing, and the destruction of Georgia’s infrastructure and military assets.
This crisis underscores the need for engaged U.S. leadership in the world. We failed to head off this conflict and lost leverage in our ability to contain it because our leaders have been distracted, our resources overstretched, and our alliances frayed. American leadership means getting engaged earlier to shape events so that we’re not merely responding to them. That’s why I’m committed to renewing our leadership and rebuilding our alliances as President of the United States.
For months, I have called for active international engagement to resolvethe disputes over South Ossetia and Abkhazia. I made it crystal clear before, at the beginning of, and during this conflict that Georgia’s territorial integrity must be respected, and that Georgia should be integrated into transatlantic institutions. I have condemned Russian aggression, and today I reiterate my demand that Russia abide by the cease-fire. Russia must know that its actions will have consequences.They will imperil the Civil Nuclear Agreement, and Russia’s standing inthe international community - including the NATO-Russia Council, and Russia’s desire to participate in organizations like the WTO and theOECD. Finally, we must help Georgia rebuild what has been destroyed.That is why I’m proud to join my friend, Senator Joe Biden, in calling for an additional $1 billion in reconstruction assistance for the peopleof Georgia.
These are the judgments I’ve made and the policies that we have to debate, because we do have differences in this election. But one of the things that we have to change in this country is the idea that people can’t disagree without challenging each other’s character and patriotism. I have never suggested that Senator McCain picks his positions on national security based on politics or personal ambition. I have not suggested it because I believe that he genuinely wants to serve America’s national interest. Now, it’s time for him to acknowledge that I want to do the same.
Let me be clear: I will let no one question my love of this country. I love America, so do you, and so does John McCain. When I look out at this audience, I see people of different political views. You are Democrats and Republicans and Independents. But you all served together,and fought together, and bled together under the same proud flag. You did not serve a Red America or a Blue America - you served the United States of America.
So let’s have a serious debate, and let’s debate our disagreements on the merits of policy - not personal attacks. And no matter how heated itgets or what kind of campaign he chooses to run, I will honor Senator McCain’s service, just like I honor the service of every veteran in this room, and every American who has worn the uniform of the United States.
One of those Americans was my grandfather, Stanley Dunham.
My father left when I was 2, so my grandfather was the man who helped raise me. He grew up in El Dorado, Kansas - a town too small to warrant boldface on a road map. He worked on oil rigs and drifted from town to town during the Depression. Then he met my grandmother and enlisted after Pearl Harbor. He would go on to march across Europe in Patton’sArmy, while my great uncle fought with the 89th Infantry Division to liberate Buchenwald, my grandmother worked on a bomber assembly line,and my mother was born at Fort Leavenworth. After my grandfather left the Army, he went to college on the GI Bill, bought his home with help from the Federal Housing Authority, and he and my grandmother moved west in a restless pursuit of their dreams.
They were among the men and women of our Greatest Generation. They came from ordinary places, and went on to do extraordinary things. They survived a Depression and faced down fascism. And when the guns fell silent, America stood by them, because they had a government that didn’t just ask them to win a war - it helped them to live their dreams in peace, and to become the backbone of the largest middle class that the world has ever known. In the five years after World War II, the GI Bill helped 15 million veterans get an education. Two million went to college. Millions more learned a trade in factories or on farms. Four million veterans received help in buying a home, leading to the biggest home construction boom in our history.
And these veterans didn’t just receive a hand from Washington - they did their part to lift up America, just as they’d done their duty in defending it. They became teachers and doctors, cops and firefighters who were the foundation of our communities. They became the innovator sand small business owners who helped drive the American economy. They became the scientists and engineers who helped us win the space race against the Soviets. They won a Cold War, and left a legacy to their children and grandchildren who reached new horizons of opportunity.
I am a part of that legacy. Without it, I would not be standing on this stage today. And as President, I will do everything that I can to keep the promise, to advance the American Dream for all our veterans, and to enlist them in the cause of building a stronger America.
Our young men and women in uniform have proven that they are the equal of the Greatest Generation on the battlefield. Now, we must ensure that our brave troops serving abroad today become the backbone of our middle class at home tomorrow. Those who fight to defend America abroad must have the chance to live their dreams at home - through education and their ability to make a good living; through affordable health care;and through a retirement that is dignified and secure. That is the promise that we must keep with all who serve.
It starts with those who choose to remain in uniform, as well as their families. My wife Michelle has net with military families in North Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia over the last several months. Every time, she passes on their stories - stories of lives filled with patriotism and purpose, but also stories of spouses struggling to pay the bills, kids dealing with an absent parent, and the unique burden of multiple deployments. The message that Michelle has heard is what you all know and have lived: when a loved one is deployed, the whole family goes to war.
The VFW has done an extraordinary job of standing by our military families - helping out with everything from a phone card for a soldier who is overseas, to an extra hand around the house. As President, I will stand with you. We need a Military Families Advisory Board to identify new ways to ease the burden. We need more official support for the volunteer networks that help military spouses get by. And we need to make sure that military pay does not lag behind the private sector, so that those who serve can raise their families and live the life they’ve earned.
For those who return to civilian life, I will support their American Dream in this 21st century just as we supported generations of veterans in the 20th. That starts with education. Everyone who serves this country should have the same opportunity that my grandfather had under the GI Bill. That’s why, unlike my opponent, I was a strong and early supporter of Jim Webb’s GI Bill for the 21st Century - a bill that Senator McCain called too generous. At a time when the skyrocketing costof tuition is pricing thousands of Americans out of a college education,this bill provides every veteran with a real chance to afford a world-class college education. And that’s what I’ll continue to stand upfor as President.
We must also stand up for affordable health care for every single veteran. That’s why I’ve pledged to build a 21st century VA. We need to cut through the red tape - every service-member should get electronic copies of medical and service records upon discharge. We need to close shortfalls - it’s time to fully fund VA health care, and to add more Vet Centers. We need to get rid of means-testing - every veteran should bellowed into the VA system. My opponent takes a different view. He wants to ration care so the VA only serves combat injuries, while everyone else gets an insurance card. While the VA needs some real reform to better serve those who have worn the uniform, privatization is just not the answer. We cannot risk our veterans’ health care by turning the VA into just another health insurer. We need to make sure the VA is strong enough to treat every veteran who depends on it. That’s what I’ll do as President.
And we must expand and enhance our ability to identify and treat PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury at all levels: from enlistment, to deployment, to civilian life. No one should suffer in silence, or slip through the cracks in the system. That’s why I’ve passed measures to increase screening for these unseen wounds, and helped lead a bipartisan effort to stop the unfair practice of kicking out troops who suffer from them. This is something I’ve fought for in the Senate, and it’s something that I’ll make a priority as President.
Economic security for our veterans also depends on revamping an overburdened benefits system. I congratulate the VFW for what you’ve done to help veterans navigate a broken VBA bureaucracy. Now it’s time for the government to do a better job. We need more workers, and a 21stcentury electronic system that is fully linked up to military records and the VA’s health network. It’s time to ensure that those who’ve served get the benefits that they’ve earned.
Just as we give veterans the support they deserve, we must also engage them and all Americans in a new cause: renewing America. I am running for President because I believe that there is no challenge too great for the American people to meet if they are called upon to come together. In America, each of us is free to seek our dreams, but we must also serve a common purpose, a higher purpose. No one embodies that commitment like a veteran.
Just think of the skills that our troops have developed through their service. They have not simply waged war in Afghanistan and Iraq - they have rebuilt infrastructure, supported new agriculture, trained police forces, and developed health care systems. For those leaving military service, it’s time to apply those skills to our great national challenges here at home.
That means expanding programs like Troops-to-Teachers that put veterans at the front of the classroom. That means tapping the talent of engineers who’ve served as we make a substantial investment to rebuild our infrastructure and create millions of new jobs. That means dramatically expanding national service programs to give Americans of all ages, skills and stations the chance to give back to their communities and their country. I’ll also enlist veterans in forging anew American energy economy. That’s why I’ve proposed a Green Veterans initiative to give our veterans the training they need to succeed in the Green Jobs of the future - so that they put themselves on a pathway to a successful career, while ensuring that our national security is never held hostage to hostile nations.
This is how we can help our veterans live their dreams while helping our country meet the challenges of the 21st century. And this is what we have learned from so many generations of veterans, including those of you here today - that your contribution to the American story does not end when the uniform comes off. We need those who serve in our military to live their dreams - and to continue serving the cause of America -when the guns fall silent. That’s what the VFW stands for, and if I have the honor of being your President, that’s what my Administration will work for every single day. Because I believe that we have a sacred trust with those who serve in our military. That trust is simple: America will be there for you just as you have been there for America. It’s a trust that begins at enlistment, and it never ends.
I thought of that trust last week when I visited the Pearl Harbor Memorial. I saw where the bombs fell on the USS Arizona, and where a war began that would reshape the world order while reshaping the lives of all who served in it - from our great generals and admirals, to the enlisted men like my grandfather. Then I visited his grave at the Punchbowl, the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
I still remember the day that we laid my grandfather to rest. In cemetery lined with the graves of Americans who have sacrificed for our country, we heard the solemn notes of Taps and the crack of guns fired in salute; we watched as a folded flag was handed to my grandmother and my grandfather was laid to rest. It was a nation’s final act of service and gratitude to Stanley Dunham - an America that stood by my grandfather when he took off the uniform, and never left his side.
This is what we owe our troops and our veterans. Because in every note of Taps and in every folded flag, we hear and see an unwavering belief in the idea of America. The idea that no matter where you come from, or what you look like, or who your parents are, this is a place where anything is possible; where anyone can make it; where we look out for each other, and take care of each other; where we rise and fall as one nation - as one people. It’s an idea that’s worth fighting for - an ideafor which so many Americans have given that last full measure of devotion. Now it falls to us to advance that idea just as so many generations have before.
Barack Roll
August 22, 2008
We Can Believe!
August 5, 2008
Written by the ProBarack Team
With an economy in decline and Americans unhappy with the current political climate, a president that’s new and different would be a welcome sight in the White House. This new president needs to provide answers that help solve many of the problems Americans face today, like the price of gas and global warming. The major candidate that best meets these requirements is the Democratic front-runner from Illinois, Barack Obama. Even by looking at Obama, you can tell he’s different. He’s tall, young, and unlike every single president this country has had, black. He is a symbol of change, looking totally different than any president of the past. Obama also represents the plight of many minorities, especially African-Americans, demonstrating how far America has come from being dominated only by whites to the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural blend it is today. Being a minority isn’t always easy, even though this country strives to end inequality. Hopefully, Barack Obama as president would show young people, especially minorities, that leadership is not defined by the color one’s skin, but by what they do to change their world, inspiring our nation’s youth to take charge of this country’s future. Just by being who he is,
Barack Obama
Obama can help change America for the better. Although his presidency alone would inspire Americans, Obama also has outlined many policies that would be beneficial to the average American citizen. Health care costs and medical insurance have become a major concern for many households, especially for those who cannot afford insurance. If a tragedy would strike an uninsured person, that person could be financially ruined from paying for the medical care needed to save their life. This thought has prompted many Americans to consider a universal health care system similar that in Canada and many countries in Europe. Barack Obama has formed a proposal to that would help Americans, especially children, gain access to medical care. Another critical issue to Americans in this election is the war in Iraq. Obama was one of the few people who first opposed the war, giving him credibility as a leader who will try to get the United States out of the now unpopular war. Although he recently stated that exact timelines would be unwise, Obama has stressed on several occasions that the US needs to have a plan to withdraw troops safely from Iraq. His position is not as radical as many anti-war positions on the far left, but he does realize that withdrawl is necessary, along with the security and safety of American troops and Iraqi civilians. Most Americans can agree with this position because it is somewhat of a compromise between the left and the right. Obama’s stance on the United States’ involvement in Iraq will help unite Americans on an issue the previously caused a great divide.
There are many reasons to vote for Barack Obama, many of which cannot fully be described in only 500 words. For a country that has been through a war and is now facing a possible recession and energy crisis, Obama is a candidate that people like, a hope for change that they desperately seek. Americans don’t just want a president; they want a leader that can believe in.
Why Barack Obama?
August 4, 2008
Why Barack Obama?
Written by The ProBarack Team
Barack Obama
Barack Obama is the perfect candidate to be the next President of the United States. First to look at American history, where just 100 years ago the taste of the Civil War was still fresh in Americans mouths, with an extreme wavering hatred for the black race. It shows that in that time not only can the greatest country on earth overcome its prejudices, but, can have a person with character and strength as its top leader.
Second, his judgement has showed me a lot! Forget about experience, its who has the right internal instinct and trusts it against the majority. Anyone like that is a natural leader! If you go back to earlier interviews with Obama, just about every question he had to answer to was right on.
Third, people respond to people that they feel are natural. It is no coincidence he is selling out arenas while his opponent is struggling to fill seats. He has an aura of truth and goodness about him that people are drawn to. Now, while some people say that isnt enough to have him as President, I say why isnt it? Feeling has been lost in governments throughout the world, maybe that has been whats lacking in its leaders. He has his past as every candidate or person does, but I think the sense in a large part of the US population is that he is someone who learns from those mistakes and betters himself, where many politicians do not have that ability. Again, another sign of true leadership! We as a people need to remember the Constitution and remember the rights and freedoms as well as the responsibilities we have, to lead and show the rest of the world that morality is a way of living.
Barack Obama has that quality inside himself, it is something I feel very strongly! Whta good is it if “experience” is the overriding qualification that he is being picked apart for? Doesnt Fidel Castro have “experience”, didnt Josef Stalin have “experience?. If “experience is used for doing wrong, as well as right it is the most overblown and misused reason for someone to be a leader. This country needs “Change” in so many ways, and he is the right man to make us forget our prejudices, make us learn from our mistakes and make us trust our gut instincts again.
