Watch: Michelle Obama Explains 'Proud' Comments

Talking Points Memo:

As long as we're on the subject of Michelle Obama's much-scrutinized remarks, here she is at an appearance today, expanding on what she meant:

Late Update: At The Horse's Mouth, Greg Sargent ponders whether the Obama camp is responding forcefully enough to the right wing attacks, including the latest from Bill O'Reilly, in which he offers to delay "a lynching party against Michelle Obama" until he gets more facts.

Read the whole story: Talking Points Memo

Comments

[flodlite]

Friday, January 18, 2008
The Militant Muslim Family of Barack Hussein Obama
The following well-documented article suggests that Barack Hussein Obama is a media darling who has direct connections to Kenya and the Marxist Odinga, and the press doesn't want American voters to be aware of this connection.
Obama's Sharia Connections in Kenya
(Originally published at Right Truth January 16, 2008)
I think everyone needs to take another look at Barack Obama, his history, his church and his continuing connection to sharia law in Kenya:
Obama appears to have sided with opposition leader Raila Odinga, head of the same Luo tribe to which Obama's late Muslim father belonged.
Obama's older brother still lives there. Abongo "Roy" Obama is a Luo activist and a militant Muslim who argues that the black man must "liberate himself from the poisoning influences of European culture." He urges his younger brother to embrace his African heritage.
Beyond family politics, these ties have potential foreign policy, even national security, implications.
Odinga is a Marxist who reportedly has made a pact with a hard-line Islamic group in Kenya to establish Shariah courts throughout the country. He has also vowed to ban booze and pork and impose Muslim dress codes on women — moves favored by Obama's brother.
With al-Qaida strengthening its beachheads in Africa — from Algeria to Sudan to Somalia — the last thing the West needs is for pro-Western Kenya to fall into the hands of Islamic extremists.
Yet Obama interrupted his New Hampshire campaigning to speak by phone with Odinga, who claims to be his cousin. He did not speak with Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki.
Would Obama put African tribal or family interests ahead of U.S. interests? (continue reading at Investors Business Daily)

On Jan. 1, 2008, the world learned from major news sources that some churches and their occupants were burned in Kenya by Kenyans who didn't like the outcome of a recent election. The media failed to report that these were MUSLIMS killing and destroying Christians and their churches.
Why do the Muslims back the more left-leaning Odinga? Like leftists in Europe and America, Odinga and his faction want to use Islam to oppose Christianity, which is seen as an impediment to the left's agenda. [snip]
We are talking about objectivity and its dire lack in the media.
It seems pretty clear that the mainstream media have two reasons for omitting the details of the story:
1. They sympathize with Islam because it is the "enemy of the enemy," namely, Christianity.
2. They are cowards hoping to avoid a confrontation with Islam in their home countries. (WND)

[research]

Watch out for the sarajohns Hit Job:

"sarajohns
Hi, I usually never blog, but with family and friends in the military, the comment by michelle obama recently offends me deeply. I am pretty much an independent leaning democrat , and have not voted in Texas yet. This reveling freudian slip made me curious what else is hiding behind the Obamas.

And GUESS WHAT, I found that Mrs. Obama's thesis at Princeston Univeristy titled: "Princeton Educated Blacks and the Black Community" is blocked till Nov. 5, 2008....(a­fter the election)
source: http://libweb5.princeton.edu/theses/thesesid.asp?ID=9867
tax records are one thing, but as an American voter I have a right to KNOW what the presidential candidate's wife thinks! I used to admire Sen. Obama, but no more, I will not be voting for Sen. Obama on March 4th!!! And may be voting Republican for the first time. Thank you."

Here's the Thesis: No hiding, from Obama's camp.

http://www.electiongeek.com/blog/2008/02/22/princeton-educated-blacks-and-the-black-community-politico-publishes-michelle-obama-thesis/

[The5thW]

What we know for sure: Saying you're not proud of America is inclusive of 90% of humans now alive, but excludes you as a terrorist. Any terrorist in the US will have two things: a flag lapel pin and Republican registration.

[Zhonni]

It is obvious to me that she was not saying that she was NEVER proud of her country throught her adult life but that she was talking about politics and how people are getting involved.

I am sure she wished she had said it differently or more clearly but it is left to resonable adults to fill in the blank. I mean, if she was still poor and being called names everywhere she goes then there might be a reason to think she was talking about the country but as we can see that is not the case.

[Bulbul]

It is almost but clear, Obama is on his way to be the next President.

So, Michelle needs to shut her trap, get a hold of that huge ego, and tone down several notches and leave her Husband do what ever he is good at.

Otherwise she will be the worse first lady, beating Barbara and Nancy (love her now ) !

[Gracie2008]

In case everyone doesn't see it:

Michelle is the NEW Hillary.

Michelle 2016.

She's just getting a break from the media. Supposedly she doesn't run the show?

Come on people!

[flodlite]

Michelle Obamma has not appoligized for anything. Wolf Blitzer aired Michelle Obamma when she was to appoligize. She didn't, and she won't. Look at her when her husband is speaking. She very rarely looks at him, WHY ? Both her and her husband's ego will attrubite to their short comings. Can you picture Michelle Obamma in the White House greating foreign dignitaries, trying to be so courtious and humble ? Her attire that day will probably be an armoured suit. I hope no one farts. BUTT,
she will never see the White House as 1st, 2nd, or 3rd lady.

[breaktheterror]

whyy issss yor spelllling so pore?

[flodlite]

Friday, January 18, 2008
The Militant Muslim Family of Barack Hussein Obama
The following well-documented article suggests that Barack Hussein Obama is a media darling who has direct connections to Kenya and the Marxist Odinga, and the press doesn't want American voters to be aware of this connection.
Obama's Sharia Connections in Kenya
(Originally published at Right Truth January 16, 2008)
I think everyone needs to take another look at Barack Obama, his history, his church and his continuing connection to sharia law in Kenya:
Obama appears to have sided with opposition leader Raila Odinga, head of the same Luo tribe to which Obama's late Muslim father belonged.
Obama's older brother still lives there. Abongo "Roy" Obama is a Luo activist and a militant Muslim who argues that the black man must "liberate himself from the poisoning influences of European culture." He urges his younger brother to embrace his African heritage.
Beyond family politics, these ties have potential foreign policy, even national security, implications.
Odinga is a Marxist who reportedly has made a pact with a hard-line Islamic group in Kenya to establish Shariah courts throughout the country. He has also vowed to ban booze and pork and impose Muslim dress codes on women — moves favored by Obama's brother.
With al-Qaida strengthening its beachheads in Africa — from Algeria to Sudan to Somalia — the last thing the West needs is for pro-Western Kenya to fall into the hands of Islamic extremists.
Yet Obama interrupted his New Hampshire campaigning to speak by phone with Odinga, who claims to be his cousin. He did not speak with Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki.
Would Obama put African tribal or family interests ahead of U.S. interests? (continue reading at Investors Business Daily)

On Jan. 1, 2008, the world learned from major news sources that some churches and their occupants were burned in Kenya by Kenyans who didn't like the outcome of a recent election. The media failed to report that these were MUSLIMS killing and destroying Christians and their churches.
Why do the Muslims back the more left-leaning Odinga? Like leftists in Europe and America, Odinga and his faction want to use Islam to oppose Christianity, which is seen as an impediment to the left's agenda. [snip]
We are talking about objectivity and its dire lack in the media.
It seems pretty clear that the mainstream media have two reasons for omitting the details of the story:
1. They sympathize with Islam because it is the "enemy of the enemy," namely, Christianity.
2. They are cowards hoping to avoid a confrontation with Islam in their home countries. (WND)

[research]

If you are "proud" of everything that America has done, you are one sick Rethug.

[sarajohns]

Hi, I usually never blog, but with family and friends in the military, the comment by michelle obama recently offends me deeply. I am pretty much an independent leaning democrat , and have not voted in Texas yet. This reveling freudian slip made me curious what else is hiding behind the Obamas.

And GUESS WHAT, I found that Mrs. Obama's thesis at Princeston Univeristy titled: "Princeton Educated Blacks and the Black Community" is blocked till Nov. 5, 2008....(a­fter the election)
source: http://libweb5.princeton.edu/theses/thesesid.asp?ID=9867
tax records are one thing, but as an American voter I have a right to KNOW what the presidential candidate's wife thinks! I used to admire Sen. Obama, but no more, I will not be voting for Sen. Obama on March 4th!!! And may be voting Republican for the first time. Thank you.

[jrb35]

Please tell me you're being sarcastic.

[AnninCA]

She's been checked out by lots of younger people.

Everything she writes is along the same lines.

And it pretty much mirrors what she said.

What people don't get is that this WAS her watering down her real attitude.

[breaktheterror]

Well, my brother is in the military, too, and neither he nor I were bothered by Michelle Obama's comments. She was speaking extemporaneously, and perhaps she wasn't clear enough, but it doesn't take a genius to glean what she was saying. She was talking about the political process, she was talking about her husband's candidacy, but because she wasn't detailed enough in THAT SENTENCE, people are vilifying her. Well, get over it. Grown-ups should know that we have a great, yet imperfect country, and the road we've been on for the last few years is disgraceful. So maybe we should pause for a moment from being blindly proud, and realize that true patriotism involves knowing what's going on, and responding as citizens when the government is dead wrong.

So, go ahead and vote Republican if you want to keep us mired in unnecessary wars of choice. My military brother understands that he's not out fighting for "freedom," not one little bit, and he's tired of being used as a pawn in someone else's chess game.

Perhaps an Obama presidency would provide us with something of which we could be truly proud: a United States that engages with the world, respects the sovereignty of other nations, sets an example of ethical and moral behavior, and is willing to confront the ACTUAL greatest threats to our world. (Hint: Radical Islam is way down the list. It's on there, but we've got bigger fish to fry than that.)

[DoninJoisey]

I was in Vietnam in the Marines 4/68-8/69, a lot of what I saw did not make me proud. I was not proud of the renting of the Lincoln bedroom, of perjury, of our ignoring the homeless, of the Katrina response, of Iraq, of torture,..­.

I've made the point before - I have children. I love them always. When they're throwing a tantrum in a store, I'm not proud of them.

We are really getting incredibly petty with this nonsense. The presence or absence of the word "really". I mean, really, let's focus on important things...

[anghiari]

Okay hillary, but shouldn't you be concentrating on Texas?

[standforpeace]

You know the truth is that Black folks have always loved America more than most. Take my father -- he joined the army in 1950 and made a career of defending his country at a time when he couldn't even vote in his home state of Alabama or get a cup of coffee in the bus station on his way home for leave (even in uniform). While he was busy with that, other Blacks were making a Civil Rights Movement, not based on hating whites or this country for all of its failings, but rather based on taking seriously the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
I think truely what Michelle Obama was doing, was calling her country to task.

But I don't want to speak for her. So I'll say when this Black woman looks around, I see millions of hard working Americans who don't have health insurance. I see others who can't afford college tuition. I see the income gap between the poorest and the richest Americans continuing to grow. I see the prisons full of Black, Brown, and yes poor white men and women. I see a broken public school system deserted by everyone who can pay for a private education or a home in a better school district. And I see this country heaping insult on injury by continuing to tout education as the great equalizer for the millions of children trapped in those crappy schools. I see my country as the agressor in an endless war that started with a pack of lies. I see the planet getting warmer while Americans continue to consume much more than our fair share of the world's resources (How many of us drove up to see An Inconvenient Truth in our gas guzzling SUVs or watched the DVD in our ever-expanding homes?) I see a country that has spent my entire adult life in the thrall of the rabid Right (all Bill Clinton did was move the middle closer to the right from my perspective).

And when I look around and see all of that, I am not proud of my country. But like those who came before me, it's not because I hate America. Just the opposite. It's because I hope, no I believe, no I know that we can do better.

[IndependentTogether]

What I find disturbing is the drone-like behavior of the "Proud"; some of us act as if it's our patriotic duty to say that we are proud of America. I bet that some don't even really understand what it means to be proud of America, because if they did, I doubt they would take issue with Michelle Obama's original statement.


I know I've been guilty of this. With right hand over heart, I'd recited the Pledge of Allegiance. I'd risen to my feet to join along in singing our National Anthem. I'd rooted for the home team during the Olympics broadcasts. I'd enjoyed watching fireworks on the Independence Day. I'd voiced support of our troops in times of war. All the standard fare.


However, everything over the years from hate crimes to our unpopular wars have given me reason to feel anger, embarrassment, and shame. Further, our current political discourse, the constant fighting, has left me feeling completely helpless and cynical. Quotes like "too liberal", "red states versus blue", "right wing conspiracy", "axis of evil", and the like have only exacerbated our problems and created further divisions. Some on the right would argue with the left that America is not perfect, but it's unpatriotic to criticize America. I've come to believe that this mindset only leads to mediocrity since it does nothing to address the prevailing imperfections.


With this backdrop, pride becomes more of a doctrine, less of a belief and practice. Many of us have become what I call "American Pride Zombies". Don't question, just limp along, gnash your teeth, and mutter "I'm proud of America, I'm proud of America". Yep, I was one, too. But then Iowa happened.


Barack Obama winning Iowa woke me up from my slumber. And when he just kept winning, for the first time in my life, I had this feeling welling up that I can only describe as being *truly* proud of America. Yes, I can point to times in my life when I felt pride in something and/or someone, but this was much, much bigger.


I'd long believed that America would never elect an African American because the people, All people (black, white, whatever), would not be able to see beyond race no matter how good the candidate. I'm sure many of you felt (and probably still feel) that, too. Well, wether Obama wins the democratic nomination and the presidency, we should all feel proud of America. This country is not nearly as racist as we all once believed. We are better that we had been. We can be even better.


That is why Michelle's original statement is so important. It is a great marker for *our* time of how our faith in the American people can and should be restored.


For the first time in my adult life, I, too, really feel proud of America.

[englishprof]

Michelle Obama doesn't have to explain anything to me. I understand where she and her husband are coming from, and, as far as I am concerned, we Americans are privileged to have the option of supporting and voting for him. I think he is the best thing to happen on the scene of Presidential politics for as long as I can remember.

[enoughalready13]

And I think you are a crazy person

[GeorgeKaplan]

Michelle got about 1% of what the Clintons have had to deal with. She also learned that every word you utter will be pulled apart and distorted by the media and the public as well. She should be grateful for the lesson, because in the fall IF her husband is the nominee she will need to be more careful.

[anghiari]

Sorta like "I never had sexual relations with that woman" Do you think HE was grateful for the lesson.?..­he clearly hasn't been more careful...­about lying ?

[research]

No OhReally's need apply.

[BigLib]

She really needs to learn to close her mouth when being photographed.

[TWOSHORT]

I AS A BLACK PERSON I WOULD LIKE TO BECOME AN american citizen!!!!!!A CITIZENS WHO COULDN'T LOSE THERE RIGHT TO work!!!A CITIZEN WHO COULDN'T LOSE THERE RIGHT TO vote!!!!A CITIZEN WHO WOULDN'T NEED SEN OBAMA TO BE THE FIRST ONE WITH A REAL CHANCES-LIKE THAT'S A GOOD THING TO SAY TO PEOPLE OF COLOR!!BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME.