All politians occasionally (I'm being generous) massage the truth for their own political benefit. How are we to judge when they are telling the truth and when they trying to con us? I submit that one way to judge is to look at that politician's past. Words matter, as Obama is fond of reminding us.

I agree 100% with what you say. Which is why I don't give a pass to Hillary on her Iraq vote. And I'm even unhappier about Kyle Libermann. It's a good thing that NIE came out or there probably would have been a strike against Iran by now. Those are Hillary's direct actions as a politician, somebody supposed to be working for us.

Trying to figure out if Wright is or was an undue influence on Obama seems a little harder for me. I will be googling around a bit. Obama was on Olbermann tonight and Kieth played some of those video excerpts. My girlfriend and I couldn't even agree on whether or not a majority of America is majority owned by White people (ok nowdays it's probably owned by sovereign wealth funds) or if any of our foreign policy in the last 50 years has come back to bite us. Is it un-American to even entertain those thoughts?

After all we did encourage the Pakistani ISI and the Saudis to send hundreds of millions to the Muhjadeen in Afghanistan in the late 70s. Not to mention all the support we sent ourselves. How did that work out? What are the ISI up to now days?

You can keep me posted on the Rev Wright while I dig into the basis for Hillary's foreign policy creds.

A link: http://nationaljournal.com/onair/transcripts/080314_craig_greg.htm

Yes, my folks stopped attending a church due to the Pastor's support of the vietnam war, so I am very familiar with the sentiment.

Maybe you can understand why Barack Obama would choose the Rev. Jeremiah Wright as his spiritual mentor but it baffles me

Well, I have no idea either. I checked out the church website (www.tucc.org) and it seems, well, like a church. It's also unclear to me the extent that Obama is a 'disciple' of the Rev Wright. Obama was on the tube tonight (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/) so you can hear him speak on the subject. Obama makes a point that Rev Wright is the politics of the past, Obama the politics of the future. YMMV.

If Obama is all about "change", it seems inconsistent to be so close to a man who's so full of rage and keeping America's historical wounds so gapingly open. I'm not sure if I agree with that, and it depends on how close Obama truly is to Rev Wright, which I don't know.

Many people have close relationshps, such as children to parents. They watch the parents make the same mistakes over and over again. There's a reaction to that, and they go off in a new direction to make their own mistakes. Speaking of Iraq General Patraeus is going to testify to Congress soon about the lack of political progress in Iraq. It's not clear if al-Sadr's cease fire will hold. Troop levels are frozen. You may like some more Iraq backstory, check out

www.newamericancentury.org

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_for_the_New_American_Century

Ghost Wars (Secret history of CIA in Afghanistan) And as always, the Great Theft http://www.amazon.com/Great-Theft-Wrestling-Islam-Extremists/dp/0060563397

His retirement will drastically reduce the amount of hot air currently released into the atmosphere.

Yes, Brzezinksi and the Muhjadeen are a good example of unintended consequences across 30 years of politics with democrat and republican presidents involved. We used to be best buds with the Muhjadeen if you remember films like Jewel of the Nile, Rambo III and one of the James Bond films (can't remember the name, I think it was Roger Moore as 007. Some Oxford educated Afghani is conducting guerilla operations with a british accent from some cave in the hills). That's the 'good' Hollywood'.

The book Ghost Wars is a good read on the subject. Speaking of foreign policy, what did you think of Obama's position to strike at OBL inside Waziristan? I knew Biden got angry at the initial exchange 'cuz he thought it was a non-issue, but it seems to have legs.

I also think Hillary's stance to not meet with leaders until they start doing what we want to be a continuation of current arrogance, and ultimately not in our best interest.

Finally, I agree that actual conversations are good, and preferred over the mud slinging.

Sorry dude, I was talking about all sources of hot air.

Telling me it's all about you and how we 'all don't get it is supposed to motivate me to agree with you somehow?

Which is more than I can say for your ilk. It's an election. You've already alienated me. But if you stop and make a half-hearted attempt to apologize, I'll still show up to vote, which is more than I can say for you.

Ilk like me is just dust on the road. I don't think you can say anything for me.

Just because some people are distrustful does not give them an excuse to be ignorant.

You are acting like you are ignorant of American history, which I find hard to believe. Maybe you should no longer be fed and be banished back to the Elder Edda.