Bob McCarty Writes

Barack Obama has used at least five different names* during his 47-year lifetime, according to a lawsuit contesting his citizenship qualifications to seek the presidency.  Because most Americans know him only by the name they see on campaign signs, I decided to investigate the origins of his name — specifically, his last name — and was pleasantly surprised by what I found.  Moreover, had I not read it with my own eyes, I might not have believed it.

Click to view Wiki.Answers screenshot

The origin of the name “Obama,” according to Wiki Answers, is based on the Luo verb that means “to be bent” or “to be twisted.” [Note: No, I didn't make this up!]

That might explain why I am so vehemently opposed to the Democratic Party presidential nominee and his bid for the White House.

*They are:  Barack Hussein Obama, Barry Soetoro, Barry Obama, Barack Dunham and Barry Dunham.

Sarah Palin answers a question from debate moderator Gwen Ifill.

I tuned in to The Rush Limbaugh Show this morning just in time to hear Rush Limbaugh tell his 20 million-plus listeners that John McCain is acting like Al Davis, owner of the National Football League’s Oakland Raiders.

Having grown up a fan of the Raiders simple because my older brother loved the Kansas City Chiefs, I was immediately interested in the discussion.  Unfortunately, Limbaugh didn’t expand on the thought during the first hour of his show.  Because I think I understand what the popular conservative talk show meant when he said McCain is behaving like Davis, I’m going to offer my explanation in Rush’s absence.

Though the Raiders have spent several years in the league’s cellar, Davis still thinks of his team as a perennial contender for the Super Bowl.  Similarly, McCain still acts as if his campaign is leading the race in much the same manner as it was soon after he picked Sarah Palin as his running mate.  But it’s not.

In reality, the McCain-Palin ticket seems unable to close the polling gap that has existed between his campaign and that of hyper-liberal Democrat Barack Obama.  Why?  Because the Republican ticket’s star player — Palin — has spent too much time on the bench and in the locker room instead of spending time on the field of play.

In order to win the presidency, McCain must realize Palin needs to play on every down — and then play her on every down — if he is to stand a chance of winning the general election Nov. 4.

“Playing her,” in a political sense, means putting her in front of as many Americans as possible in as many high-visibility settings as possible.  It means doing unconventional things in unconventional places or, in other words, spending time with ordinary Americans, looking them in the eye and asking for them to help her — and her running mate — win the White House and, in turn, save the American dream for our children, grandchildren and future generations.

If McCain chooses not to capitalize on Palin’s star power and likability, he does so at his own peril.  In much the same way as I turned away from the Raiders and switched my allegiance to the Dallas Cowboys, many American voters might, God forbid, “change” their minds and opt for another party’s presidential ticket.  And that would be a shame.

Click image to view video.

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The video above, just released by the John McCain campaign, shows Democratic Party vice presidential nominee Joe Biden living up to his reputation as a “loose cannon” who stretches the truth and — on frequent occasions such as last night’s vice presidential debate — tells flat-out lies.  Who can blame him?  We all know LIBERALS LIE.

CORRECTION

Proving that I’m no lawyer (thankfully) and that I should have consulted one in advance of posting this item, Ed Morrissey at HotAir.com tells me that I’m wrong.  In an e-mail moments ago, he wrote:  “No they weren’t.  That’s an exemplar produced by the plaintiff for the judge to sign IF he rules in their favor.  Without a signature, it’s meaningless.  Cheers!” Thanks Ed.  I stand corrected, still waiting for updates on the case.

CORRECTION

Newly-obtained court documents reveal that attorneys for Barack Obama were instructed by a judge in Pennsylvania to turn over three documents — within three days — to the attorneys of Phillip Berg, a prominent Philadelphia attorney and Hillary Clinton supporter who filed a lawsuit contesting the Democratic Party presidential nominee’s citizenship qualifications to seek the presidency.

This information means that this lawsuit, the subject of a very popular Aug. 23 post on this blog, continues, much to the surprise of people following it.

On Sept. 29, Judge R. Barclay Surrick of the Pennsylvania Eastern District Court instructed Obama’s defense team to turn over the following documents to the plaintiff’s attorneys are:

1.  Obama’s “vault” version (certified copy of his “original” long version) birth certificate; and

2.  A certified copy of Obama’s Certification of Citizenship;

3.  A certified copy of Obama’s Oath of Allegiance.

Click here to visit web site where all court document for the case can be downloaded.

While more than three days have passed since the judge issued his discovery order, a court web site listing all documents related to the case does not reflect anything more recent than the document shown in the graphic above; therefore, it’s unclear whether Obama’s attorneys have yet complied with the judge’s order.

Stay tuned as I will publish updates as more information becomes available.

See Also:  Atlas Shrugs’ post, OBAMA USES TERROR LAWYER TO FIGHT FORGED BIRTH CERTIFICATE LAWSUIT

Hat tip:  Wake up America

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The cross-section of reviews below, from members of the news media coast to coast, show that Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin exceeded expectations and, according to many, won tonight’s debate with Democrat Joe Biden.

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Luntz Focus Group Calls Palin The Winner: “I Think She Just Spoke To The People, The American People”

Luntz Focus Group Voter: “I think she just spoke to the people, the American people. She was direct.” (Luntz Focus Group On Fox News, 10/2/08)

• Watch Luntz Focus Group: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKrk_6QjcNw

“She Was Every Bit His Equal”

The New York Times’ David Brooks: “I thought she was every bit his equal. I thought she was fluid, confident, she struck her theme, just the regular old mom. But she handled the foreign policy issues. She did fine with Iraq. She did fine with Iran. She certainly hit energy often enough. I suspect Republicans are going to be quite pleased.” (David Brooks, PBS’ “Post-Debate Analysis,” 10/2/08)

• Brooks: “She could do policy, she did quite well on the gubernatorial issues and did quite well on mentioning John McCain all the time, much more than Joe Biden who scarcely mentioned Barack Obama, she did quite well with that. I thought was just that style of me versus Washington. I thought it was quite effective for her in general. I suspect most people, there are a few more hallmark moments, Norman Rockwell moments but I suspect most people will really like that.” (David Brooks, PBS’ “Post-Debate Analysis,” 10/2/08)

“She’s Articulate, Quick, Detail-Oriented” With “Everyday American Appeal”

ABC’s Rick Klein: “[W]here has this Sarah Palin been? She’s articulate, quick, detail-oriented tonight.” (Rick Klein, “Live Debate” Blog, blogs.abcnews.com, 10/2/08)

• Klein: “9:03 pm CT: ‘It’s so obvious that I’m a Washington outsider,’ Palin says. Again, better done than said, but undeniable. This line of attack, driving a wedge between Biden and Obama, is legit, though it can seem forced at times.” (Rick Klein, “Live Debate,” ABC News’ “Live Debate” Blog, blogs.abcnews.com, 10/2/08)

CNN’s Bill Schneider: “Palin is going after Biden over his comments that the wealthy should pay more taxes as a patriotic move. The Alaska governor has come to this debate fully armed.” (Bill Schneider, “Schneider: Attack, Counter Attack,” CNN’s “Political Ticker” Blog, www.cnn.com, 10/2/08)

The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza: “Palin to Biden: ‘Can I call you Joe?’ GENIUS.” (Chris Cillizza, “Twittering The Showdown In St. Louis,” The Washington Post’s “The Fix” Blog, Washington Post Fix Blog, 10/2/08)

• Cillizza: “Palin starts with a ‘kids soccer game’ story in regards the economy. Folksy — playing to her strengths.” (Chris Cillizza, “Twittering The Showdown In St. Louis,” Washington Post Fix Blog, 10/2/08)
• Cillizza: “State of Alaska…taking on oil companies…this is good ground for her. The more she talks about reform, the better.” (Chris Cillizza, “Twittering The Showdown In St. Louis,” Washington Post Fix Blog, 10/2/08)

MSNBC’s Carrie Dann: “Here’s that folksy, everyday American appeal right out of the gate with Palin’s first answer. She says you can hear about the consequences of the tough economy just by asking parents at a hockey game on a Saturday afternoon … ‘You’re going to hear some fear’ about ‘the few investments some of us might have,’ she says.” (Carrie Dann, “The Palin McCain’s Been Talking About,” MSNBC’s “First Read” Blog, firstread.msnbc.msn.com, 10/2/08)

MSNBC’s Domenico Montanaro: “Good start on the first question from Palin. She was crisp and went right to those … soccer moms, if you will. She brought the economy to the middle class and said the barometer is how parents on the sidelines feel. There are likely a lot of nodding heads in some living rooms at home.” (Domenico Montanaro, “Palin, Off To Good Start,” MSNBC’s “First Read” Blog, firstread.msnbc.com, 10/2/08)

NBC’s Matthew Berger: “Those who have seen Palin debate in Alaska say she is very efficient, and you’re seeing that now. She’s taking Biden on directly, speaking at him and then turning to the camera to make her points.” (Carrie Dann, “Palin’s Efficiency,” MSNBC’s “First Read” Blog, firstread.msnbc.com, 10/2/08)

The New York Times’ Katharine Q. Seelye: “Ms. Palin makes a grab to be more pro-Israel than Mr. Biden, which seems to tick him off.” (Katharine Q. Seelye, “A Tense Moment,” The New York Times, 10/2/08)

The Atlantic’s Ambinder: “Palin is adept at keeping Biden on the offensive.” (Marc Ambinder, “The Debate: Liveblogging I,” The Atlantic’s “Marc Ambinder” Blog, marcambinder.theatlantic.com, 10/2/08)

Commentary’s Linda Chavez: “Palin is easier to listen to than Biden. First answer was, if not a home run, at least a double.” (Linda Chavez, “VP Mom,” Commentary’s “Contentions” Blog, www.commentarymagazine.com, 10/2/08)

Commentary’s Eric Trager: “Palin reminds Biden that he has often differed with Barack Obama on the Iraq war, and offers her respect for Biden’s previous positions. ‘I don’t know how you can defend his positions now.’ Brilliant.” (Eric Trager, “Her Best Moment Yet,” Commentary’s “Contentions” Blog, www.commentarymagazine.com, 10/2/08)

• Trager: “She calls Biden out on voting for the war before he was against it. Biden has only himself to blame for setting Palin up with a meek explanation of why he authorized the war without (supposedly) supporting it. This is the knockout punch of the night thus far.” (Eric Trager, “I’m Such A Washington Outsider,” Commentary’s “Contentions” Blog, www.commentarymagazine.com, 10/2/08)

The Politico’s Jonathan Martin: “She knows all the wedges between Biden and Obama, including their votes on troop funding, and even drops in a reference to that Jon Stewart interview where the Delaware senator said he’d be honored to run with his colleague from Arizona.” (Jonathan Martin, “Palin Got Good Oppo Brief,” The Politico’s “Jonathan Martin” Blog, www.politico.com, 10/2/08)

Townhall’s Amanda Carpenter: “Palin says Obama’s vow to meet with foreign enemies goes ‘beyond naivate, [sic] beyond poor judgment. Diplomacy is hard work by serious people’ with guidelines and sanctions ‘before any kind of presidential summit would take place.’” (Amanda Carpenter, “Palin’s Smoking Obama On Foreign Policy,” Townhall.com, www.townhall.com, 10/2/08)

Commentary’s Jennifer Rubin: “Sarah Palin takes us back to the Bush-Cheney energy plan and reminds him that Obama voted for it. Then she goes back to her own record of getting tough with the oil company. Forget expectations, she might just be winning this. At least for now.” (Jennifer Rubin, “Energy Plan,” Commentary’s “Contentions” Blog, www.commentarymagazine.com, 10/2/08)

Sarah Palin

It took her almost an hour to get there, but Sarah Palin finally reached the point when she, the hockey mom from Wasilla, was able to distinguish herself as vastly different from Joe Biden, the six-term U.S. senator from Delaware.

“Oh, yeah, it’s so obvious I’m a Washington outsider and someone just not used to the way you guys operate,” said Palin, following her opponent’s long-winded answer to Gwen Ifill’s question about whether or not the American public has the stomach to put U.S. troops on the ground in Darfur.

“Because here you voted for the war and now you oppose the war. You’re one who says — as so many politicians do — I was for it before I was against it or vice-versa.

“Americans are craving that straight talk and just want to know, hey, if you voted for it, tell us why you voted for it and it was a war resolution.”

That answer, more than any other during the 90-minute vice presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis, set her apart from all other candidates in the race — both tickets included!