Why this lifelong Republican may vote for Obama

[ProSense]

Why this lifelong Republican may vote for Obama

The party of Bush and McCain outsourced the hunt for bin Laden, failing to accomplish a vital mission since 9/11.

By Michael Smerconish

Sept. 11, 2008 | Where the hell are Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri? And why does virtually no one ask anymore? What's changed since the days when any suburban soccer mom would have strangled either of them with her bare hands if given the chance? And what happened to President Bush's declaration to a joint session of Congress nine days after 9/11 that "any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime." Doesn't that apply to Pakistan?

These are things that I wonder as I watch from my perch in Philadelphia, where I'm a talk show host, columnist and MSNBC talking head. I have also spoken and written about them incessantly, so much so that I've exhausted my welcome with many conservative members of my own talk radio audience. My editors at the Philadelphia Daily News and the Philadelphia Inquirer have made it clear that I've published my last column on this issue because I have written seven to date. On the day after the Pennsylvania primary, I told Chris Matthews on "Hardball" that this was an issue that could help Barack Obama win support among white male voters; he recognized that it was " issue," before adding, "And I agree with you completely."

I can't help myself. So strong is my belief that we've failed in our responsibility to 3,000 dead Americans that I am contemplating voting for a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time in my life. It's the chronology I find so compelling.

We're at the seven-year anniversary of 9/11, lacking not only closure with regard to the two top al-Qaida leaders but also public discourse about any plan to bring them to justice. To me, that suggests a continuation of what I perceive to be the Bush administration's outsourcing of this responsibility at great cost to a government with limited motivation to get the job done. Of course, I may be wrong; I have no inside information. And I'd love to be proven in error by breaking news of their capture or execution. But published accounts paint an intriguing and frustrating picture.

link

I'll believe it when I see it, but...

:wow:

[BlooInBloo]

1. And McPOW has refused to tell the military how to catch him the WHOLE time...

And McPOW SWEARS that he knows.

[babylonsister]

2. Yada yada yada. Not a word about how inept the McBush campaign is.

Let me know your thoughts on that, Smirk, then we'll talk.

[vi5]

3. The key word "MAY"...

Yeah, always leaving themselves an out. It's assholes like this who are the first to fall for whatever stupid fucking overeactive bullshit gets thrown out there at the last minute.

[ProSense]

6. The headline is enough to cast doubt.

If a Democrat said that about McCain, all hell would break loose.

This is perfect, I'll talk it.

[tallahasseedem]

4. Didn't he get the memo?

Dana Perino just said that Bin Laden wasn't the mastermind of 9/11!

[1corona4u]

12. Yeah, now they are trying to sell that....

and I ain't buying it.

[CitizenLeft]

5. actually I believe him.

He has defended Obama many times on Race to the White House (why the f#$% do I watch that show? Cripes). He's been very fair to Obama - not overboard, but fair. Going by the things he says on the show, I think he really is considering it.

[barack the house]

7. The more converts the merrier especially in PA, that's a good place to have a voice.

[eshfemme]

8. More evidence that Obamicans really exist.

What's sad is that McCain's equivalent isn't really materializing, other than the few PUMAs who've basically gone completely over into the realm of unreason and insanity.

[scheming daemons]

9. Smerc has been VERY fair to Obama ever since the "race speech" in Philly...

He came on MSNBC that evening as a guest and you could see that he was a changed man.

And ever since, he's been the most reasonable right-winger in America.




I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt.

[ClarkUSA]

10. Smerconish has been pro-Obama for quite awhile now; he's a true Obamacan who defends Barack.

A few months ago, he even encouraged his listeners to read, "Dreams of My Fathers," raving about how
it was "my story, your story, every American's story." He then spent an entire week reading excerpts from
it on the air! Obama also gave him two or three live interviews during the PA primary.

[Cosmocat]

13. Yep ...

as others noted, this isn't a one time deal with him and BO, he has been warm to BO since mid primary.

Leaving the near unbelievable possibility that a right winger might actually be genuine in coming out of the darkness, the one thing I see is that his base of power is the Philly area, and I think BO is pretty popular there.

Just sayin.

[ClarkUSA]

14. I hear ya...

But if it were all about self-interest, he would have been warmer to Kerry in 2004 (he was vile towards Kerry then, as I recall).
Also, it seems to be he's gone out of his way to defend Obama at almost every turn. He's been consistent since mid-primary
in why he likes Obama -- because he was the ONLY presidential candidate who remembered that Osama bin Laden was still
running free in the hills of Pakistan. So I think his pro-Obama feelings are very real.

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

11. THIS might put hi over the top then

send him this information:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7021936

[blm]

15. I always said Tora Bora was a HUGE DEAL, yet very few would back up Kerry's attack on Bush

when he was making it regularly from early 2002 thru to election day. Too many Democratic lawmakers supportive of Bush downplayed Kerry's accusations against Bush on tv.

Shame on all those Dem lawmakers and spokespeople too cowed by BushInc and the bigname Dems' capitulations to Bush, to provide the back up to Kerry on this CRUCIAL point against Bush.

Looks like Smerconish finally spent some time thinking this Tora Bora incident through.