turnip wrote: All in all, he is lucky he is running against a black man with an aggressively black wife: otherwise he would quickly be buried.

Bring on the shovel, McCain is half-way buried already and within 2 months you will relent that McCain has no chance at all in November?

And what is an "aggressively black wife"?

If McCain picks some hack who turns out to have conflicts, big yawn. Wasn't Obama supposed to be different? Instead we've got yet another guy who, yes was working on his behalf, but "no way, I had NO idea," turns out to have all sorts of problems then gets thrown under the bus with Grandma, Jeremiah et al. If you choose to associate with dodgy people, it reflects very badly on your judgment. That's the case for everyone, Obama is no different.

And, please Joan, fighting back against rumors is not the same as actually answering them. And a lot of legitimate criticism is nothing like a smear. Obama's M.O. is to group it all together and attack the questioner when criticized. The media is regularly cowed by the Obama's attack and then backs off from getting a real answer to the question.

there is little to be gained except the personal knowledge that you have followed your conscience. Nonetheless, if the below history sheds light on anything it is that - despite the fact that the heirarchical world pays only lip service to your thoughts and often uses the knowledge you impart to punish you as whistleblower, that open door still must not be allowed to languish unused.

Here is a link to the history of two other men's brave refusal to ignore an open door policy - and instead, to stand up for personal integrity - at West Point. They too failed but only becuase of the shameful behavior of others entrusted with an open door policy.

Their bravery was never written in any of the history books in my classes, but it may salve your sense of having stood up for a sense of principle. But we can read from this beautifully written posting on their lives. And we can read their letters. And we can remember than and honor them by continuing to stand up for principle in our own lives.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/15/7944/79772/503/534441

and

http://www.accessgenealogy.com/african/flipper/james_smith.htm

hats off to you. Just one final caution: consider the idea of picking your battles so that you survive and prosper; preserve peace as necessary to your own happiness. I too got burned by a fraudulent open door policy where concerns over a manager's practices were fed directly back to the manager. But I was lucky and was able to laugh, hold my head high in a direct 'conference' with said small person - while complementing my contribution to the group; then resign as pre-planned but just early enough to cause her some discomfort, and move along to an already pre-planned and more interesting chapter that could not be tainted by such poison. But know that I had worked in the poison for four years before engineering my departure, so my comments - and the resulting betrayal of a fraudulent open door policy - had no actual effect on my subsequent career path. But my luck is not available to most. MORAL: Preserving one's mental health is extremely important. The balance between mental health and retaining your pride can be tough - ergo, my four years of obeisance.

They're marching in lockstep, little puffed-hair troll dolls.

So fun to step on and squish. But more and more keep coming, like some sort of attack-doll, Trilogy of Terror nightmare.

When is the media going to take the initiative and ask REAL questions and get REAL answers?

No need, I'll just tell you. We are going to kill Whitey, take away your guns and your bibles and 100% of your income. We are going to replace them with a Koran and a copy of the Communist Manifesto. Workers of the World Unite! Allah Akbar! Kill Whitey! Burn the Flag!

When are questions from John Q. Public going to be addressed by the Barack Hussein Obama campaign? When are subjects like his sponsorship of the Global Poverty Act going to be in the spotlight? Who is going to finance paying for "taxes" to the UN by the US-government that Mr. Obama feels we owe? Why do his voting records in Illinois paint a different picture of his stand on Second Amendment rights than his media-campaign is trying to portray? I have written to his campaign only to receive a talk-over and no yes or no response to questions of his beliefs in Constitutional law. When will he address issues that his book writings make appear to be anti-American and anti-Christian? His responses thus far have been politically-correct and were non-answers. He again talked around issues. His new web-site to stem off criticism and stop rhetoric have done nothing to answer questions on the minds of uncommitted voters. When is the media going to take the initiative and ask REAL questions and get REAL answers?

Gee the polls don't support your spin that Hillary voters are going for McCain.

Obama is ahead of McCain in the general polls by 7 pts.

Obama swamps McCain among Hispanic voters: Obama 62%-McCain 28%.

Obama has a 19pt lead over McCain among all women and a 7pt lead among white women over 65.

The divided Democrats does not exist. It is just spin put out there by republicans and among the big R bloggers in here.

There is NO big defection by angry women. The majority of women voters are pro-choice, and they know a vote for McCain is a vote against women.

Political charlatan, Barrack Obama, has convinced his robotic followers that Obama can meet with Ahmejinedad without precondition; and, that the Iranian leader will experience an Obama epiphany and conversion to righteousness; and, "There Will Be Peace In Our Time". This is the very same Neville Obama who, because he frequently babbles incoherently when attempting to speak without a prepared text, is terrified of being exposed by meeting John McCain in a simple Town-Hall Forum. God help us if the majority of Americans are beguiled by this novice circus comic, who has never before performed under the "Big Tent"; and, the peddling of his "Magic Elixir " that Obama claims will "Heal The Planet". Greg Neubeck