WP: Effect of Obama's Candor Remains to Be Seen

[Newsjock]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/02/AR2007010201359.html

By Lois Romano
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 3, 2007; Page A01

Long before the national media spotlight began to shine on every twist and turn of his life's journey, Barack Obama had this to say about himself: "Junkie. Pothead. That's where I'd been headed: the final, fatal role of the young would-be black man. . . . I got high push questions of who I was out of my mind."

The Democratic senator from Illinois and likely presidential candidate offered the confession in a memoir written 11 years ago, not long after he graduated from law school and well before he contemplated life on the national stage. At the time, 20,000 copies were printed and the book seemed destined for the remainders stacks.

... Obama's revelations were not an issue during his Senate campaign two years ago. But now his open narrative of early, bad choices, including drug use starting in high school and ending in college, as well as his tortured search for racial identity, are sure to receive new scrutiny.

... Through his book, Obama has become the first potential presidential contender to admit trying cocaine.

[tanyev]

1. Where was all this "scrutiny" when anyone tried to talk about *'s early, bad choices?

His binges continued well past his college years.

[babylonsister]

3. What a great question. As for Obama, he knows it goes with the

territory. He runs, he gets scrutinized. He realizes that many of us will like his candor.

[Pirate Smile]

6. Wasn't it up to 40 years old? That's way past college years. The

press seemed to just agree to ignore the first 40 years of Bush's life.

[rebel with a cause]

17. they called that bush's

young years. I remember thinking "what the heck, I was not considered a youngster when I was 40?"

[Pirate Smile]

26. I'm not even 40 yet. Just a pup at 37. Sounds like Henry Hyde's "youthful indiscretions".

What a crock.

[eleny]

2. W has already made all that no big deal

:shrug:

[skipos]

4. How old were Obama and Bush when they were doing drugs?

Bush supposedly stopped when he was what, 40 or something?

[ananda]

5. So, Obama doesn't have what Bush had..

.. so many people and mediawhores to keep his drug use and partyfrat days out of public debate.

.. and so many people willing to just turn the other eye and let it fall under the table.

No, Obama has to be seen as torturous and difficult. The media is loving this. It sucks bigtime.

Sue

[Benhurst]

7. Surely not. After all they have been oh so kind to Dubya Bush's

youthful experimentation (up until when, his forties?) with drugs in his spiritual quest.

[caligirl]

8. McCain drank, what about the others Obama will be compared to?

Edwards did what? Hillary did what? Romney did what?


bush fried his brain and our calif gov admitted by saying something to the effect of-don't ask, I did them all.

[illinoisprogressive]

9. Well, i said in an earlier post

that Hillary was gearing up the smear machine and taking aim.
The gop tried and it failed awhile ago. so, That's why my guess is the woman who would be queen

[DURHAM D]

21. Oh please - put a lid on that crap. n/t

[originalpckelly]

10. Let me get this straight:

A guy is honest and open about his foibles as a young man, it's an issue.

A guy is deceitful and still hasn't fully admitted to his foibles as a young man, it's not an issue. Oh yeah, one more thing, this guy is a fucking puritan asshat too.

[Mojambo]

25. And one is black and one is white. n/t

[Synnical]

11. Wonkette: CNN Doesn't Care About Black People

http://www.wonkette.com/politics/barack-obama/cnn-doesnt-care-about-black-people-225450.php

The Aryan Conspiracy against America’s first half-black president continues, as proven by this actual CNN screen capture. Also, we’re supposed to believe anybody at CNN cares about “Obama bin Laden” in 2007. Not even Bush pretends to act like Bin Laden is a big scary bogeyman these days!

Also, the execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was obviously timed to cause confusion and make primary voters in 2008 somehow think the hanging was connected to Barack Hussein Obama’s crimes against humanity or whatever.

:evilgrin:

[rebel with a cause]

20. Go to the DAILY KOS link and scrowl down to the comments.

You will come to a picture with the words: Manson (D-CA). Funny.

[BuyingThyme]

12. Does Lois Romano still eat poop?

That too may draw scrutiny.

I hope nobody brings it up.

:rofl:

[brer cat]

13. I'm going to, BuyingThyme

because I have NO idea what you are talking about. Am I too old to get this or what?

[BuyingThyme]

14. I'm referring to the author's title:

"Obama's Early Confessions May Draw New Scrutiny"

It's like Fox News' "some say" strategy. It's designed to draw scrutiny while pretending to report news.

The author confessed dishonesty on the title line, but is too dishonest to realize it.

[brer cat]

19. Thanks. I missed her name on the byline

and was very confused. Got it now.

[BuyingThyme]

24. The editors went and changed the title to

"Effect of Obama's Candor Remains to Be Seen:
Senator Admitted Trying Cocaine in a Memoir Written 11 Years Ago"

[Jim Sagle]

15. It hasn't been proven, but I saw it on the Internets.

I heard she sucked a series!!!!!! of tubes as well. (Or is it that the Internets are a series!!!!!! of tubes?)

[orleans]

16. she can't tell the difference between someone being executed and someone

going to sleep!

"ROMANO: I actually witnessed an execution by lethal injection, and I would think a firing squad or electrocution would be a little bit more unnerving than lethal injection. I mean, you're really just watching somebody go to sleep. "

http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0105/12/rs.00.html

[bling bling]

18. I hate to say this....

But all Obama has to do to get this out of the front pages is give a retort that talks about Jesus or something. "Yes, that was when I was young but Jesus had other plans for me so I gave that all up, and here I am, just like Jesus wanted....." blah blah blah.

I know it sounds kind of disingenuine but whatever. We've got to move on and it's a surefire way to shut the pieholes of the Right Wing tabloid partisan attack dogs. Dems have GOT to stop the futile attempts to defend themselves using reason and intellect as their tool. Just do what works and move along.

Just ask cokehead-potsmoking-alcoholic George W. or "dime-bag Laura". Thanks to 'ol JC, they never had to spend a whole lot of time stammering to explain their drug days.

[rebel with a cause]

23. the pugs here love bush because he is a reformed alcoholic

Bible belt you know. They will defend everything he does and that is always their defense of him. "BBBut it took a lot of strength to stop being an alcoholic. He is a Christian, and God has blessed him. blah blah blah." I didn't even have the heart to tell them that you don't stop being an alcoholic, you can only stop drinking. I just quit talking to anyone that I know that doesn't hate him, because it is just hopeless. The people that do hate/dislike him are usually certain university people, union people and older hippies such as myself.

but hey, they like Obama here also. Don't know how it will be in '08 though.

[mzmolly]

22. I hope it's effect is positive, we need more candor in our politicians.

:kick:

[pnwmom]

27. Meaning: he was first cocaine user not to lie about it.