Why Barack Obama May Be President

I have a very brief post about two small, yet important, news items

Amanda Marcotte, the hate spewing far left wing blogger has semi-quietly resigned from the John Edward's Presidential campaign, exactly as I predicted she would. Insiders say she was likely forced out, unable to tone down her anti-Catholic and anti-Christian writings in spite of public promises to do so.

Marcotte blamed her problems on Catholic activist Bill Donohue and wrote this letter to her readers (link currently down):

In fact, he’s [Donohue] made no bones about the fact that his intent is to “silence” me, as if he—a perfect stranger—should have a right to curtail my freedom of speech. Why? Because I’m a woman? Because I’m pro-choice? Because I’m not religious? All of the above, it seems.

Sorry Amanda, Donohue is a bit of a nut case, but it was your own writings and your own attitude that caused this end. And certainly no one wanted you silenced. I, for one, am positive you'll have a long career writing for many websites and publications.

But I am really posting quickly today to point out exactly how a strong, principled, intelligent Presidential candidate handles this type of problem.

Barack Obama announced his candidacy for President over the weekend with a speech that overwhelmed virtually everyone who heard it. Strong, decisive, unafraid to take on the issues directly, Obama is a real breath of fresh air in a poll driven, photo op charged field of pretenders to the Presidency.

However, during a campaign speech in Iowa, Obama said:

We ended up launching a war that should have never been authorized and should have never been waged and to which we have now spent $400 billion and has seen over 3,000 lives of the bravest young Americans wasted.

I personally guarantee that 70% to 80% of the American public absolutely agree with every word in that statement. Including the "lives wasted" comment.

But, a (statistically) few people, soldiers, families and others, were genuinely hurt by the statement that our soldiers lives were "wasted." And many of the far right wing bloggers and talk show hosts quickly attacked Obama, just as they had attacked Edwards for the Marcotte disaster.

The difference - and the reason Obama may well be elected President next year - is that Obama realized he had made a mistake and apologized virtually immediately!! From the New York Times:

As he arrived in New Hampshire, Mr. Obama said he would “absolutely apologize” to military families if they were offended by a remark he made in Iowa while criticizing the Bush administration’s Iraq policy. "What I would say — and meant to say — is that their service hasn’t been honored,” Mr. Obama told reporters in Nashua, N.H., "because our civilian strategy has not honored their courage and bravery, and we have put them in a situation in which it is hard for them to succeed." "Even as I said it," Mr. Obama said Monday, "I realized I had misspoken."

The John Kerry campaign might well been on track today if he had handled himself as graciously as Barack Obama.

Step up to the plate and do what's right. And immediately go back on message.

"... their service hasn’t been honored our because our civilian strategy has not honored their courage and bravery, and we have put them in a situation in which it is hard for them to succeed.”

We may well have another John Kennedy on our hands. It's about time.

TECHNORATI TAGS: AMANDA MARCOTTE BARACK OBAMA JOHN EDWARDS JOHN KERRY CONSERVATIVE POLITICS BILL DONOHUE LIBERAL FREE SPEECH

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