Powerline has an interesting look at an article about Obama’s rise – working off a New Yorker article by Ryan Lizza, it is clear that Obama has a high opinion of himself. This quote from the Lizza piece is telling:

Marty Nesbitt remembers Obama’s utter calm the day he gave his celebrated speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, in Boston, which made him an international celebrity and a potential 2008 Presidential candidate. “We were walking down the street late in the afternoon,” Nesbitt told me. “And this crowd was building behind us, like it was Tiger Woods at the Masters.”

“Barack, man, you’re like a rock star,” Nesbitt said.

“Yeah, if you think it’s bad today, wait until tomorrow,” Obama replied.

“What do you mean?”

“My speech,” Obama said, “is pretty good.”

While Obama is one of my brothers in Christ, I think he needs to take a course in Christian humility. That attitude is extraordinarily worrisome in a man who aspires to be President. It is clear that Obama believes in himself – and there’s only one thing wrong with such a belief: its insane.

Not insane in the sense that Obama will need to be locked in a padded cell, but insane in the sense that it betrays a complete lack of understanding in Obama of his standing vis a vis the rest of humanity and, of course, his relation as the creature of a Creator (and you may discount this as important – but Obama professes Christianity, which makes it vitally important…even if he doesn’t actually believe it, because that makes him not just self centered, but monstrously dishonest). I know that in modern times we teach that one must believe in one’s self….but, look around you and you’ll see the results of self-belief in corporate boardrooms of bankrupt firms, in prison cells filled with con artists, in broken families and destroyed relationships. A goodly portion of our social pathologies come to us via people who believe very strongly in themselves…the trouble with believing in the self is the fact that it crowds out believing in anything but the self.

Pride is not one of the seven deadly sins by accident – it is one thing to be proud of one’s nation; one’s firm; one’s successful child; one’s regiment; one’s sporting team…that is pride based upon subordination of the self to a larger purpose…but to be proud of the self is always destructive. I cannot, of course, peer into Obama’s soul and see what motivates him, but all that I’ve learned of him indicates a man who has got on too far and too fast and who lacks that sense of balance – that humble understanding that dust thou art, and unto dust thou shall return. While it isn’t such a problem to have yet another self-absorbed Senator, it is a problem in a President. Nixon was self-absorbed; Carter was self-absorbed; Clinton was self-absorbed. Get the picture?

According to Robert Redford if Obama loses, “you can kiss the Democratic Party goodbye.”

Seems we’ve gone some place the enemy prefers we stay away from, and they are determined to keep us out:

A multi-pronged militant assault on a small, remote U.S. base killed nine American soldiers Sunday in one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. troops since the 2001 invasion, a Western official said.

Militants fired machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars from homes and a mosque in the village of Wanat in the northeastern province of Kunar, a mountainous region that borders Pakistan, NATO’s International Security Assistance Force said in a statement.

The attack on the relatively new outpost began at 4:30 a.m. Sunday and lasted throughout the day.

Nine U.S. troops were killed in the attack, a Western official said on condition of anonymity because the deaths had not yet been officially announced.

Lt. Col. Rumi Nielson-Green, the top U.S. military spokeswoman in Afghanistan, said she could not comment because the battle was ongoing. She referred calls to NATO headquarters in Kabul.

NATO said in a statement that there have been casualties on both sides but accurate numbers could not be confirmed because the fighting was ongoing. (emphasis added)

The cruelty and fundamental cowardice of our enemies in Afghanistan is on display here by their use of homes and a mosque as cover for their assault on our troops. We’ll have to wait developments, but I’m confident that our troops will quickly win this battle. Meanwhile, pray for our soldiers, and the long-suffering Afghan people.

Fr. Neuhaus, in an address to the National Right to Life Committee, lays it out:

Some say it started with the notorious Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 when, by what Justice Byron White called an act of raw judicial power, the Supreme Court wiped from the books of all fifty states every law protecting the unborn child. But it goes back long before that. Some say it started with the agitation for “liberalized abortion law” in the 1960s when the novel doctrine was proposed that a woman cannot be fulfilled unless she has the right to destroy her child. But it goes back long before that. It goes back to the movements for eugenics and racial and ideological cleansing of the last century.

Whether led by enlightened liberals, such as Margaret Sanger, or brutal totalitarians, whose names live in infamy, the doctrine and the practice was that some people stood in the way of progress and were therefore non-persons, living, as it was said, “lives unworthy of life.” But it goes back even before that. It goes back to the institution of slavery in which human beings were declared to be chattel property to be bought and sold and used and discarded at the whim of their masters. It goes way on back…

…The culture of death is an idea before it is a deed. I expect many of us here, perhaps most of us here, can remember when we were first encountered by the idea. For me, it was in the 1960s when I was pastor of a very poor, very black, inner city parish in Brooklyn, New York. I had read that week an article by Ashley Montagu of Princeton University on what he called “A Life Worth Living.” He listed the qualifications for a life worth living: good health, a stable family, economic security, educational opportunity, the prospect of a satisfying career to realize the fullness of one’s potential. These were among the measures of what was called “a life worth living.”

And I remember vividly, as though it were yesterday, looking out the next Sunday morning at the congregation of St. John the Evangelist and seeing all those older faces creased by hardship endured and injustice afflicted, and yet radiating hope undimmed and love unconquered. And I saw that day the younger faces of children deprived of most, if not all, of those qualifications on Prof. Montagu’s list. And it struck me then, like a bolt of lightning, a bolt of lightning that illuminated our moral and cultural moment, that Prof. Montagu and those of like mind believed that the people of St. John the Evangelist—people whom I knew and had come to love as people of faith and kindness and endurance and, by the grace of God, hope unvanquished—it struck me then that, by the criteria of the privileged and enlightened, none of these my people had a life worth living. In that moment, I knew that a great evil was afoot. The culture of death is an idea before it is a deed.

In that moment, I knew that I had been recruited to the cause of the culture of life. To be recruited to the cause of the culture of life is to be recruited for the duration; and there is no end in sight, except to the eyes of faith.

I can’t identify the moment that vividly where I switched from acquiescence to the Culture of Death to opposition…but I do remember the moment when I became a pro-life absolutist, a happy warrior for the Culture of Life: it was when I was honored to listen to some women who had been victimised by abortion, and heard them urge me – a man – to stand tall for life and in the defense of women and their unborn children. It became so entirely clear to me that the issue of life transcended everything else – that there really was no more important issue. If we can’t respect the dignity of our fellow human beings – from conception to natural death – then all talk of “rights” and “liberty” was so much nonsense. People have to be alive for us to be concerned about them.

The title of Fr. Neuhaus’ speech is “We Shall Not Weary, We Shall Not Rest” – speaking to the fact that once recruited to the pro-life cause, one never gives up and never gives in. We are sustained by the knowledge we are backing basic decency – and the knowledge that in spite of all lies designed to throw dust in everyone’s eyes, the basic fact of our nation – the Declaration of Independence – proclaims what we proclaim, that all human beings are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights, including – most importantly – the right to life, with no quibbles about whether or not a pregnancy 6 months along or a 96 year old alzheimers patient are really alive. They are. We know it. The Culture of Death knows it, too. We just act on that knowledge, the Culture of Death ignores it because, for humanity, cowardice and evil are the easy course of action – doing wrong or just ignoring wrong is much easier, and seemingly safer, than doing right or opposing wrong.

I, too, shall not weary nor shall I rest in this battle – not only am I not discouraged, there is no way to discourage me on the issue of Life vs Death. As I live so do I battle for Life, and as long as I live – which, after all, is actually forever – I shall fight for Life against all of those who hold that Death is the better alternative.

Geesh:

Today, Obama Told CNN He Supports The Death Penalty For Osama Bin Laden:

In A CNN Interview, Obama Says He Supports The Death Penalty For Osama Bin Laden. “In an interview with CNN, the Senator says he’s no ‘cheerleader for the death penalty,’ but ‘I think plotting and engineering the death of 3,000 Americans justifies such an approach.'” (Mark Halperin, “Obama: Death Penalty For Bin Laden,” Time’s “The Page” Blog, thepage.time.com, 7/11/08)

In June, Obama Said That If Bin Laden Were Captured, He Would Not Make Him A “Martyr“:

Obama: “I think what would be important would be for us to deal with him in a way that allows the entire world to understand the murderous acts that he’s engaged in and not to make him into a martyr.” (Caren Bohan, “Obama: U.S. Should Avoid Making Bin Laden A Martyr,” Reuters, 6/18/08)

Its getting harder and harder to find a position Obama hasn’t betrayed yet. This is the guy the left wants as President? A man who can’t hold to a position for even a month? What happens, dear lefties, when its time to push that universal health care plan and he runs up against GOP opposition? Has he given you any indication that he won’t surrender?

In a follow-up to a previous post, I submit for your approval a primer of how to ensure that we remain enslaved to third-world tinhorn dictators, jihadists and other whackos like Ahmadinejad and Chavez:

First, take a means of harvesting our own oil:

U.S. District Judge David Lawson of Detroit ruled Thursday the agency had acted “arbitrarily and capriciously” in 2005 by giving Savoy Energy LP of Traverse City a permit to drill an exploratory well near the Au Sable River’s south branch.

The proposed wellhead would be located in the Huron-Manistee National Forest about three-tenths of a mile from the Mason Tract, a 4,679-acre wilderness area prized by anglers and other outdoor recreationists.

Forest supervisor Leanne Marten said when approving Savoy’s application that the project wouldn’t significantly harm the environment and the company would be required to keep noise to a minimum.

Next, take two enviro-whacko groups whose true aim is to ensure that the United States ends up a third-rate power and a third-world conglomeration of collectives, reduced to living in squalor in thatched roofs, and for good measure bring along a willing accomplice whom they’ve shamed into acquiescing:

Two environmental groups, the Sierra Club and Anglers of the Au Sable, sued the government to halt the drilling. Joining the suit was Tim Mason, whose grandfather, auto executive George Mason, donated the original 1,200 acres to the state upon his death in 1954 and asked that it be maintained as wilderness.

Then, get an activist leftist puke of a judge who sees things the way they do:

But the judge ruled the Forest Service didn’t consider how degrading the area could harm tourism,

Next, find a spotted owl or a caribou. If there are no spotted owls or caribou in the area, find another obscure species of flora or fauna to prop up as a defenseless cute critter who will suffer a woeful existence and/or disappear from the face of the earth if development takes place. Never mind that it won’t be the case. In trying to accomplish such a noble cause as destroying the United States, one must never let the truth get in the way of crippling the U.S. economy. The end, after all, justifies the means

“[The judge]…said the agency did a “woefully inadequate” job of evaluating how the drilling might affect the Kirtland’s warbler, an endangered songbird that nests in the area.”

And that, my friends, is how to ensure that we become a third world, third-rate nation, courtesy of your local friendly environmentalist/socialist whacko.

Shakespeare’s Henry VI was incomplete in his assessment that what was needed in the world was first to “kill all the lawyers.” He would have been more prescient if he included the radical environmentalists in his calculations.

Nevada Pundit has a word to say about this rather tiresome Democratic talking point:

…Democrats love to say “McSame”. I think that there is something that they are overlooking, President Bush was elected on a platform of strong conservative beliefs, ideas that enough people believed in that he was elected President. President Bush’s unpopularity was not with his ideas so much as his implementation. The part that I don’t think the Democrats understand is that the Republican party doesn’t want those ideas to go away, they want someone in office that will be effective in getting their ideas through.

Very little that I have heard from McCain is a continuation of Bush’s policies, what they are are a continuation of Republican ideas in a way that McCain and many feel will be much more effective than President Bush’s approach. The idea of “McSame” is only being used, in fact can only be used as a scare tactic to the moderate voters…

I can dispute the exception on Bush’s effectiveness – personally, I think he’s been very much so – but I see the point: It is, perhaps, a situation now where GOPers are looking for someone less ideological and more practical…someone, that is, who can take core GOP values and get them implemented without the extraordinary level of nastiness we’ve seen directed at President Bush; a nastiness partially engendered by President Bush being clearly identified with a very conservative set of moral values as expressed by his evangelical Christianity. The left has spent so many years demonizing the religious right that, to the left, President Bush was pure evil even before Iraq. The fact that some Democrats are still seeking impeachment – six months before Bush leaves office – shows the level of hatred felt on the left for President Bush. A President McCain, however, won’t be carrying around the baggage President Bush has been saddled with and, addtionally, given McCain’s hero status, it will be very hard to tag him the way the left has tagged President Bush. And thus we see “McSame”.

While President Bush is unpopular, I don’t think he’s hated the way the left hates him – but they believe he is so hated, and so we’re seeing an attempt to closely tie John McCain to President Bush, even though McCain has been a strong GOP critic of the President. For the left, they feel that if they can really make people think that McCain is a Bush clone, then their task is done – Obama will be elected in a landslide. Time will tell if the left has hit upon the winning tactic, but the fact will always be that McCain and President Bush are two very different sorts of Republicans – sharing some core values, but having a very different conception of what is to be most emphasised and what means should be used to effect the desired ends. Democrats are, in short, using their tried and true method – lying.

FOX News reports,

Tony Snow, the former White House press secretary and conservative pundit who bedeviled the press corps and charmed millions as a FOX News television and radio host, died after a long bout with cancer. He was 53.

A syndicated columnist, editor, TV anchor, radio show host and musician, Snow worked in nearly every medium in a career that spanned more than 30 years.

President Bush and Laura Bush issued the following statement:

Laura and I are deeply saddened by the death of our dear friend, Tony Snow. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Jill, and their children, Kendall, Robbie, and Kristi. The Snow family has lost a beloved husband and father. And America has lost a devoted public servant and a man of character.

Tony was one of our Nation’s finest writers and commentators. He earned a loyal following with incisive radio and television broadcasts. He was a gifted speechwriter who served in my father’s Administration. And I was thrilled when he agreed to return to the White House to serve as my Press Secretary. It was a joy to watch Tony at the podium each day. He brought wit, grace, and a great love of country to his work. His colleagues will cherish memories of his energetic personality and relentless good humor.

All of us here at the White House will miss Tony, as will the millions of Americans he inspired with his brave struggle against cancer. One of the things that sustained Tony Snow was his faith – and Laura and I join people across our country in praying that this good man has now found comfort in the arms of his Creator.

UPDATE: House Republican Leader John Boehner released the following statement:

“Churchill said, ‘I like a man who grins when he fights’ and that was Tony Snow. For 35 years, as a writer, broadcaster, and spokesman, he fought fiercely for what he believed in, and he did it with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. His loss is a loss for our country. His newspaper columns and television and radio shows illuminated issues with grace and humor and solid insight. He served twice in government, distinguishing himself as a speechwriter in President George H.W. Bush’s White House and as a spokesman for the current President. Despite everything Tony did and achieved in life, he never forgot his hometown roots or those who grew up with him. He was a proud son of Cincinnati, and I will miss him. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Jill, and their three children.”

Quite simply because – outside of the various affinities Catholic voters have for a man like John McCain – winning without the Catholic vote will be nearly impossible:

John McCain is preparing to ramp up his efforts to reach out to Catholic voters with a “very, very aggressive” campaign, spearheaded by the newly created Catholic Outreach Coalition.

Frank Donatelli, the Deputy Chairman of the Republican National Committee, spoke to reporters and Catholic media on a conference call this morning about the efforts that the McCain campaign is planning to reach Catholic voters.

Donatelli described the Catholic Outreach Coalition, chaired by Sen. Sam Brownback and Frank Keating, as “first-rate” and said that it will be “very well-funded.”

McCain’s Catholic campaign will involve literature, sending speakers to parishes and Catholic gatherings, a direct mail program and statements by Sen. McCain on issues of concern to Catholics.

The coalition plans to explain to Catholic voters how McCain is a stalwart opponent of abortion, has a strong appreciation for the social conscience of the world and that he is in favor of an immigration policy that defends the nation’s borders but also is humane in its treatment of illegal immigrants.

Donatelli also mentioned to CNA that the McCain campaign is also actively reaching out to Latinos, a group that historically votes for Democrats and is largely Catholic. Besides the cultural issues that presidential contender is emphasizing with non-Latino Catholics, McCain sees addressing the immigration issue in a humane manner as key to attracting the Hispanic vote.

Meanwhile, Obama’s alleged Catholic outreach guy hides:

Mark Linton, director of Catholic Outreach for the Obama Campaign, refused to appear on a Catholic radio show to explain Obama’s views regarding abortion and address his accusations of supporting infanticide.

The Detroit-based radio show, hosted by Al Kresta, founder of Ave Maria Communications and best-selling Catholic author, wanted to invite both Mark Linton and Deal Hudson, the director of InsideCatholic.com, onto his radio show. Nick Thomm, the producer for Kresta’s show, explained to CNA, “[Linton] is the National Catholic outreach guy and he disagrees with Deal Hudson over the facts surrounding Obama’s record on abortion. So we figured we’d have them both on the show to hash it out.”

Hudson has written several articles questioning Obama’s stance on abortion and infanticide due to his refusal to pass the Born Alive Infant Protect Act in the Illinois Senate. Linton responded on July 4 by sending out an email criticizing Hudson and attempting to clarify Obama’s abortion position.

After successfully contacting Hudson, Thomm was unable to find a contact number for Linton on the party’s website. When he contacted Obama’s Senate office, he told that they couldn’t give out Linton’s phone number and that he would have to send Linton an email.

After sending Linton an email on Monday afternoon and another Tuesday morning, Thomm called Senator Obama’s office once again to try and reach Linton in time for Kresta’s 4 p.m. (ET) radio show.

Thomm explained that when he called Obama’s senate office he told the Obama staffer, “we have no choice but to think that he’s trying dodge us. He’s supposed to be a National Catholic Outreach coordinator and we’re a Catholic radio show, so who’s he doing outreach to?”

“We never heard back from him and so we just went ahead and did the show without him,” said Thomm.

CNA also tried to contact Linton to discuss Obama’s abortion record and the missed radio debate, but calls and emails were not returned.

Compare and contrast – McCain’s willingness to stake out firm positions with Obama’s unwilingess to ever get into a tight spot.

So says this Newsmax report:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has dropped a bombshell by reversing course and suggesting that the Judiciary Committee might take up the issue of impeaching President Bush.

Pelosi’s change of heart comes after Rep. Dennis Kucinich moved a “privileged resolution” to force the House to consider whether Bush should be impeached for, according to the Ohio Democrat, lying to Congress and the American people about the reasons for invading Iraq.

Pelosi had previously declared impeachment to be “off the table” before the 2006 election. But she now believes hearings on the impeachment issue are “a distinct possibility,” according to The Nation magazine.

Pelosi told reporters on Thursday: “My expectation is that there will be some review of that in the committee. This is a Judiciary Committee matter, and I believe we will see some attention being paid to it by the Judiciary Committee.”

Rep. John Conyers, the Michigan Democrat who chairs the committee, has said he is reviewing the articles of impeachment Kucinich has proposed. Previously he had felt constrained by the Speaker’s “off the table” comment.

This is either a sop to the kook left – a means of keeping them occupied by smoke and mirrors (they are rather gullible, after all) while Obama shifts right for the fall election…or its a desperate attempt to make people hate President Bush enough to carry Obama over the finish line in November (this would be the case if internal Democratic polling shows that only a tremendously and continuously unpopular Bush gives Obama an edge over McCain). In either case, its a dishonorable thing to do…and, of course, real hearings will never happen, nor will articles of impeachment be passed by the House, because a trial in the Senate would expose that each and every criticism of President Bush vis a vis Iraq is massively overstated, at best, or an outright lie, at worst. The last thing Democrats want is a full airing of the Iraq issue prior to the November election.