You may have misjudged many of us. I am also a white, middle-aged woman. I, too, know something of diversity.

I live in Honolulu. Just two blocks from Punahou School, the prep school Obama and my own three children attended. It was the excitement we naturally felt that “one of our own” might be president that I began to research Obama’s life. There was much, it seemed, that we had in common.

I couldn’t cast my vote for someone just because I had an emotional attachment to them. I needed to get a real sense of his values – the character and judgment he’s used throughout his life. When I’m comfortable with that, the political positions he might take are usually in keeping with my own.

I remember hearing Obama’s first words — an answer to a question about his admitted drug use. When asked about inhaling, his response was a laughing and flippant, “That was the whole purpose!” Now I’m sure that made him popular with the college crowd – his targeted audience – and it has definitely proved successful.

But this saddened me. I think it’s critically important that our leaders have the highest of standards, and not treat their own youthful indiscretions in a light vein, but soberly. At every opportunity. We as parents – and grandparents, as you are – should try to give our children the best role models.

And that is why I brought up the video. The video that, as I watched it, made me weep for that child. For he could be my own newphew, Nate. But it is only the color of their skin that they share. Our Nate is joyful, loving life – and keeping us all laughing – even as he adjusts his life now to accomodate his lost vision. He’s been taught to live a life of faith, not hate.

You see, I was raised in a family that values all life. This child was given it because his biological mother was told there was a family who wanted him. And we are all so very glad she did.

As I said before, a person’s character and judgment are pretty good indicators of his political views. If you’re not aware of Mr. Obama’s position on Life, it has not been anything close to moderate. He stood – alone – in the state senate to disallow lifesaving aid to those who might survive an unsuccessful abortion.

As a believer in God, I encourage faith at every opportunity. But I understand it’s not shared by all; and my heart goes out to those young women who must make that choice. But choices are what each of us makes every day – every hour – for a variety of reasons. Though seemingly small, they are a reflection of our maturity – and our character.

Mr. Simon was right — there comes an hour when each of us must grow up and put aside childish things and ways.

Mr. Obama has yet to do that.

And Charles the K expands In Today’s WaPo

Obama is an attractive and interesting young man but his past associations are highly suspect and his penchant for hanging onto them is …..weird. Why can’t he say what needs to be said? “I associated with these people because they provided what I thought healthy critique of America but when I found out more about them I realized that their critique of America was not the one I wanted to associated with.” Instead we get, “typical white person” and grandma thrown under a bus in the quintessential smarmy political manner that is the cliché come to life.

Why can he not verbalize the dissassociation? Because it is not true. And instead we get pure lies and drivel and evasions and half truths and shading from one who I would expect better from. It is amazing that people who have such intelligence, and Obama has that, can be so blind or are getting such bad advice.

What does that say about a commander in chief? Tone deaf and bad advice, hmmm give me more of that.

How can he be so blind to the millstones that are Rev. Wright and Bill Ayers that are hanging around his neck?

The Rev Wright association is unbelievable? A twenty year association with this kind of race baiting, hater who married him, baptized his kids and preached this stuff for twenty years to his children and the happy couple. Then he has the nerve to tell us that he did not hear, he was not aware, he was not in church…..what a load of horseshit. It’s like Clinton in the early years, like yesterday when she would lie and lie, except now her advisors polled some people and told her that people don’t like people who lie to their face over and over again and won’t vote for them for president.

As far as the race angle…..Stanley Crouch has the flip test and you can read a profile here

http://www.robertboynton.com/articleDisplay.php?article_id=30

“Black kids who dress like gangsters complain that they get bad service at restaurants and stores. They say, “Hey, we aren’t thugs, we just dress that way.’ Well, let’s flip it over. Let’s say a white guy comes into a store wearing a K.K.K. outfit, and everybody is horrified. And he says, “I’m not really a Klansman, I just like the look.’ Now, with ninety-nine percent of those black kids it is only style, but we just don’t have time to go around interviewing them. “Excuse me, young man, are you actually carrying a 9-mm pistol or is your outfit just a cultural signifier””

Does the Obama association with Wright and Ayers pass the flip test?

Let’s see….what if McCain had an long twenty year association with a race baiting hater and an admitted bomber of abortion clinics who was making a bomb to kill doctors at a social dance and who only escaped prison due to illegal wiretapping by the FBI and is now a college professor (whoa… how did that happen?)

Ouch….that does not look so good.

Obama cannot disown these people in a clear intellectually honest manner and his current explanation rings totally false, even to the rubes in Peoria.

This election is shaping up to be a 49 state McGovern type blowout unless…….unless……what? He suddenly gets honest now? NOT.

The superdelegates are the 1000 most powerful people in American and this is shaping up to be a very interesting election.

More will come out on both sides but the slow trickle of death with continue for Obama.

The superdelegates will never give the nomination to Hillary against the will of the people and alienate the radical left and the blacks, however this is shaping up to be a massive case of buyers remorse for the dems.

Obama has not and probably will not have a John Kennedy moment where he declares that he does not take orders from the Pope (Rev Wright and Ayers)

And it is probably too late now.

America will stick with McCain, a war hero who they see a his own man, flawed but not fatally so.

I’m a 57 y.o. white woman, mother, grandmother, professional career woman. I have worked with diverse groups of people. I, also, remember the SDS and the Weathermen. The SDS didn’t bother me as much as the Weathermen did. To me, the Weathermen seemed rather dangerously deluded.

I’m just not very rattled by Obama’s association with either Reverend Wright or Ayers. I believe that Obama’s contact with Ayers has truly been infrequent and of no great significance. I would be worried about his association with Wright if I could find any evidence of Obama having such extreme views himself. It is very tempting to merely listen to the sound bites offered by the media which is always followed by the “talking heads” giving their interpretation of what they think was meant. However, in my experience, a mere few words taken out of context and presented in a sound bite, while generally great for dramatic interest is really not a very useful method to gain true understanding of what someone is saying.

Steve, Obama’s campaign is the only one in great financial shape with few problems in the ranks, unlike the campaigns of McCain and Clinton. Seems like he has pretty good management skills to me.

Perhaps, it is because of my professional career has been as a registered nurse that I’m not too upset about Obama’s minister or his fleeting contact with Ayers. The past 23 yrs. of my 36 yr. career has been as a psychiatric nurse, with the past 11 yrs. as a Board Certified Psychiatric Nurse. My work has brought me into contact with such a richly diverse group of people, both as colleagues and as clients/patients. I am constantly amazed and awed by God’s handiwork as expressed in us humans. Ofcourse, there are times that I am also saddened by the still sometimes devastating effects of some chronic illnesses. Oh, but I stray from my point.

Having read Obama’s books, researched his history, including his education, work as a community organizer and his legislative career, I have found zero evidence that he espouses the more radical views of his previous minister. Infact, every single person who has ever known him has pretty much the same things to say about him. He is kind, he really listens to others, he really does look for the common ground and is very effective at building bridges between disparate points of view amongst others. The other comment that is almost universal is that he is extraordinarily intelligent.

All of you negative posters here should be ashamed of yourselves. I would imagine that most of you were raised with some sort of values about treating your fellow humans with dignity with you agree with them or not. Yet, what a lack of such behavior I see here.

Those of you who claim to speak of the “truth” about Obama, just what is your source for that truth? Your own disappointments in life, resentment that a youngish Black man could be successful enough to be running for president? Have you absorbed the hatefulness of certain personalities in the press and media?

Hey, Mortimer, your info about gun laws in Illinois is bogus. Here is a link to a page that lays them out clearly. You know what folks can have there rifles and shotguns… unless they’re convicted criminals, mentally ill or retarded. Maybe the problem for you is that you fall into one of those categories.

David Levavi, I’m a Jew also, raised in Reform Judaism. Ever hear of The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism? Might want check it out before you go making poorly informed comments about “liberal” Jews. http://rac.org/

ajmalkov, you’d better become better educated before you cast stones.

Believer, yeah, your posting name says it all. You are definitely show you’re a believer of the misinformation campaign by the right wing media loonies when you talk about Obama “giving” the finger during his speech the day after the not-debate.

Okay, you guys, its late so I’ve got to go, but really, you all do sound like a bunch of poorly educated scared white guys. Some of you even sound a bit racist. Are you?