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Fox News Won't Air Anti-Obama Ad, Time For a Real Debate?

LibertySugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:30:06 -0700

Fox News says it won't air an ad connecting Barack Obama to a 1960s radical William Ayers. The ad was produced by American Issues Project which happens to have a board member who was paid as a McCain consultant until July 2007. Thanks to its nonprofit status, AIP can spend an unlimited amount of money. Election experts worry that the ad is illegal because it advocates a candidate, which cannot be done with nonprofit funds. Fox News did accidentally air a portion of the ad, but even a nominal rejection signals that ads like these are starting to raise eyebrows.

Ayers is a college professor and former member of the Weather Underground, a radical organization that wanted to end the Vietnam War through acts of domestic terrorism. He served with Obama on a board until 2002, and also held a campaign event for Obama when he first decided to enter politics in the 1990s. The American Issues Project ad hits Obama hard saying:

Obama's political career was launched in Ayers's home. And the two served together on a left-wing board. Why would Barack Obama be friends with someone who bombed the Capitol and is proud of it? Do you know enough to elect Barack Obama?

Obama hasn't backed away from the Ayers issue. To find out what he says about Ayers, and to see the ad itself, read more.

Obama has painted the connection as innocent, saying the following:

Mr. Ayers is a 60-plus-year-old individual who lives in my neighborhood, who did something that I deplore 40 years ago when I was 6 or 7 years old. By the time I met him, he was a professor of education at the University of Illinois. We served on a board together that had Republicans, bankers, lawyers, focused on education.

While it's important for voters to have crucial information about the candidates and their policies, advertisements by somewhat rogue groups definitely toughens the task of sorting out truth from smears. What do you think of the ad?

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Front Page: Obama Wants Healthcare Bill, Not Abortion Bill

TresSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:00:11 -0800

President Obama is asking Congress to drop the clause in the House healthcare bill that puts new restrictions on abortion coverage. - ABC News
Virginia will execute John Allen Muhammad (aka "The DC Sniper") today. - CNN
RNC leader Michael Steele says some white Republicans are scared of him. - Politico
Fans apparently walked out of Tracy Morgan's Carnegie Hall performance last night because it was too raunchy. - New York Daily News
Former Miss California Carrie Prejean says she has been "Palinized." - MSNBC

Are You Disappointed the President Doesn't Write His Tweets?

GeekSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:33:41 -0800

While traveling in China, President Obama spoke to a group of students in Shanghai, where one of the students asked if he believed people in China should have access to Twitter. (The service has been blocked in China since July). He responded,

"I have never used Twitter but I'm an advocate of technology and not restricting internet access."

With over 2.5 million followers and counting, President Obama is one of the most popular users. New tweets are posted nearly every day, with multiple posts added during important events like House votes or special initiatives. Although the President admitted he doesn't write the tweets himself, he presumably has someone on his staff updating his feed with regularity. With a major to-do list and one of the most high-profile jobs in the world, I'm not surprised the president isn't using Twitter on his own (though I'm sure he could add a Twitter app to his much-loved BlackBerry). What about you?

Front Page: Michelle and Jill Have a Night at the Ball Game

TresSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:00:51 -0700

Michelle Obama and Jill Biden attended game one of the World Series last night, watching the Phillies beat the New York Yankees. - Huffington Post
The US economy grew for the first time in year last quarter, with GDP expanding at an annual rate of 3.5 percent. - New York Times
There's growing speculation that Michael Jackson's This Is It could win an Oscar. - AP
Friends of the girl who was gang raped outside her school's homecoming dance are blasting school officials over lack of safety. - CNN
Kenya will hold a census of its gay population with hopes that the information will boost HIV prevention. Homosexuality is a crime in Kenya, punishable by 14 years in jail. - BBC News

Oh Snap! Obama Is a Celebrity in China

TresSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:00:37 -0800

A stone carving of President Obama is on sale in Shanghai, China, along with carvings of celebrities like Will Smith, Tom Cruise, and Katie Holmes. Obama will be meeting with both ordinary citizens and Chinese leaders in Shanghai and Beijing starting today. As you can tell from these photos, creative vendors in China are ready to capitalize on Obama's visit. You just got to love ~~capitalism~~ communism!

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Front Page: Barack and Michelle Go For the Gold in Denmark

TresSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:00:45 -0700

Michelle Obama promises "take no prisoners" when she and Barack go to Denmark Thursday with hopes of nabbing the 2016 Olympics for Chicago. - CNN
The US plans to economically isolate Iran if the country does not allow international inspectors in to examine its nuclear program. - Washington Post
At least 240 people have died in the Philippines as a result of severe flooding. - Wall Street Journal
An overreach by Roman Polanski's lawyer may have been behind the director's arrest. - NY Daily News
Predictably, abortion is complicating the healthcare debate. - New York Times
Things are looking good for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, after she won re-election over the weekend. - New York Times

A Moment for the History Books, Indeed!

GiggleSugar — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 04:05:00 -0700

We've heard lots of reasons why Senator Barack Obama's run for presidency in 2008 is historic. I can't say, though, that I have ever heard the following reason before (and I bet you never have either!).

Week in Weird News: Sarkozy Tells Obama to Kiss Like French

CitizenSugar — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 10:00:28 -0700

Sarkozy Teaches Obama How to French Kiss - President Obama accepted the typical French greeting of cheek kisses from a French student on Friday, after President Sarkozy encouraged him to accept the gesture.
Woman Kicks Cleaning Husband to the Curb - A woman in Germany divorced her husband because he cleaned too much.
Obama Is the New Colonel - Two fried chicken restaurants in New York City have taken some heat for putting Obama's name on their signs. One city councilman plans demonstrations next week outside of Obama Fried Chicken and Obama Fried Chicken & Pizza.
Workers Find Live Grenade in Texas Attic - Roofers in Texas found a live World War II-era grenade in an attic this week. An FBI bomb technician was called in and the grenade was detonated at a nearby shooting range.
Rocket Fuel Chemical Found in Baby Formula – Samples of powered infant formula contain traces of a chemical used in rocket fuel, according to a new government study.
Israel's Female Leaders Erased From Photos - Ultra-Orthodox Jewish newspapers in Israel Photoshopped two female Israeli cabinet members out of a printed photo, because it is improper to print images of women.

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Obama's Nobel Peace Prize: Deserved or Premature?

TresSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:00:00 -0700

This morning, a humbled President Obama said he did not expect to wake up to the news that he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Maintaining that he did not feel that he deserved to be in the company of the transformative figures previously honored by the prize, Obama said he would accept it as "a call to action, a call for nations to confront the challenges of the 21st century."

The Nobel committee cited Obama's rare ability to have "captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future." The committee also strongly criticized Obama's predecessor, revealing that the award may have been a rebuke of President Bush.

But some aren't so convinced that Obama was deserving. RNC Chairman Michael Steele offered his opinion: "It is unfortunate that the president’s star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights."

Women Worry That Obama Is Throwing Them Under the Bus

TresSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:42:32 -0800

Back in January, feminist magazine Ms. hailed Barack Obama as a super feminist. But the president's recent tepid response to protecting abortion rights might mean that the love affair with Obama is about to end for many women. Over at the Daily Beast, women's rights activist Amy Siskind argues that the Stupak amendment, which treats women's rights as a political bargaining chip that can be traded for healthcare reform, is just one more example of how Obama couldn't care less about women . . . except when he's trying to win their votes of course. She writes:

He appointed fewer women into his cabinet than President Bill Clinton. He surrounded himself with czars, more than 90 percent of whom are male. He appointed Larry Summers, of "girls are inferior in math and science" fame, to a key economic post. He played basketball, golfed and fished with men and men only. He had beers with Skip Gates, but ignored it when Rihanna was almost strangled to death. And so on.

Of course it's not all bad. Ms. released a report chronicling the giant strides Obama made for women during his first 100 days in office. These actions included: signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, instituting a new ambassador-at-large for global women's issues, establishing the White House Council on Women and Girls, and overturning the "global gag rule" in order to re-fund global family planning organizations.

Has the Obama administration let you down when it comes to women's rights?