By BONO
Published: July 10, 2009 NYT

On his visit to Ghana, President Obama has the chance to lead nations in building on the successes of recent efforts within Africa and to learn from the failures.

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Obama’s first 100 days in office, as told through his Facebook page.

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Democratic Presidential Nominee Barack Obama has received the endorsement of the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American tribe in the United States. The Navajo Nation covers large areas of Arizona, New Mexico, and a smaller area of Utah and is considered it’s own sovereign nation under treaty with the United States Government. The tribe has over 250,000 members.

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“Those kinds of images, going out on Al-Jazeera, are killing us around the world.”

“And we have got to say to the world, it doesn’t make any difference who you are or what you are. If you’re an American, you’re an American.”  

- Colin Powell in reference to the Bill Ayers attacks by McCain

So the blog and media world are all a buzz about Colin Powell’s endorsement of Barack Obama this morning, and this is major of course, but after watching a couple of video clips I’m encouraged by Powell’s authenticity and genuineness. The man occurs to me as having nothing to hide and wanting to be honest about what the United States faces in this period of history.

I’m sure Powell will be repudiated and accused of all types of things by members of his own party as they grapple with why he would make this endorsement (McCain is trying to shrug it off), but at least Newt Gingrich is impressed.

There is immense value and benefit in being honest and real about what’s so, it’s what really makes a difference in the world. You can tell a true leader by their ability to do this regardless of how people may respond to it. McCain used to do this.

Okay, maybe the title for this post is a bit overstated, but it’s nice to see McCain stand up for respect and decency.

After days of watching in silence, McCain calms the crowd at a Minnesota town meeting.

McCain: “I want everyone to be respectful. And let’s make sure we are, because that’s the way politics is done in America.”

Tells one supporter who says he’s scared of an Obama presidency:

McCain: “I have to tell you, he is a decent person, a person that you do not have to be scared [of] as president of the United States.”

After a woman calls Obama “an Arab terrorist” McCain interrupts to say:

McCain: “No, ma’am. He is a decent family man with whom I happen to have some disagreements.”

 

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If you need proof that this is the most important election in a generation, get this: Jewish grandkids are flying to Florida to visit their grandparents – without being guilted into it – to talk their elders out of voting for John McCain.

More than hockey moms or gun-toting God lovers, old Floridian Jews are the most important demographic in this election. They make up about 5 percent of the voters in a swing state with 27 electoral college votes. They never miss so much as a condo board vote and are normally reliable Democrats.

The Jewish Council for Education and Research – a new pro-Barack Obama political action committee – is organizing “The Great Schlep,” in which hundreds of Jews will make the Southern exodus on Columbus Day weekend, October 10-13. They will travel to the Fort Lauderdale area, where they will visit their grandparents, organize political salons in their condos and eat incredibly bad food. The grandkids also will meet up at a bar one night, which – if the psychological impact of spending a few days with frail, elderly, widowed relatives is taken fully into account – may do more to repopulate the world’s Jews than the creation of Israel.

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I seriously don’t think I could like Tina Fey any better!!!

With Queen Latifah as Gwen Ifill, Tina Fey as Sarah Palin and Jason Sudeikis as Joe Biden, “Saturday Night Live” continues on its parodic roll, skewering all three.