Michelle Obama Under Fire for 2004 Letter Defending Partial-Birth Abortions
RSS Newsfeed Email article Printer friendly by Steven Ertelt LifeNews.com Editor May 21, 2008
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Michelle Obama, the attorney wife of pro-abortion Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, is coming under fire for a letter she wrote defending partial-birth abortions. The 2004 letter, written to help Obama in his campaign for his U.S. Senate seat, opposes the ban on the abortion procedure.
In February 2004, Michelle Obama penned a fundraising letter to help her husband Barack raise funds for his Illinois-based Senate seat.
The letter contends the federal ban on partial-birth abortions "is clearly unconstitutional" and "a flawed law."
Though the three-day-long partial-birth abortion procedure involves the partial birth of a baby during the middle trimester of pregnancy and the jamming of scissors into the back of her head to kill her, Obama's wife describes it as "legitimate" medicine.
"The fact remains, with no provision to protect the heath of the mother, this ban on a legitimate medical procedure is clearly unconstitutional and must be overturned," Michelle Obama writes in the letter.
She also said the Bush administration should not encourage the abortion practitioners who sued to reverse the ban to drop their lawsuit to make it unconstitutional. The Supreme Court later sided with Bush and Congress in saying the ban is legitimate.
In closing, Obama told prospective donors that they could "count on" Barack to "keep the Bush team from appointing the Supreme Court justice that will vote against Roe v. Wade."
Noted pro-life advocate Jill Stanek highlighted the letter on her blog and said Michelle was "leeching off the partial birth abortion ban" to raise funds for her husband.
"I'd like to ask Michelle to explain her legal opinion about this law the Supremes went on to declare constitutional," Stanek said.
"I'd like to ask Michelle how in the world she could in good conscience raise money from fear-mongering about this barbaric abortion procedure," she added.
Stanek pointed out that Barack Obama recently issued a warning to "lay off my wife" after she came under fire about an unrelated issue.
Stanek said the request amounted to "Free speech for me but not for thee" -- something she called "a typical left-wing position."
"So it's fine to kill late-term babies, but we can't risk hurting Michelle's feelings about it," she added. The left had the nerve to critisize Palin's 17 year old daughter for getting pregnant when this is their solution to the pregnancy issue, which one would you prefer?
Ya know, nobody likes abortion. Probably even the females that have had one. It's a sensitive, heated, complicated, emotional, political, religious subject. I am pro-life, but I can appreciate intelligent dialog between people with passion regarding both sides of this subject.
What I find despicable is people, such as Mrs. Obama who use this very very sensitive subject for political gain ONLY!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
I e-mailed the Biden story above to the editor of the Gazette. They sent it back to me telling me that the link in it had timed out. I came home, found the appropriate link (not that an investigational journalist or their boss couldn't) and sent it back to them this morning...with no response as of yet.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Obama might pursue criminal charges against Bush · Biden says criminal violations will be pursued
Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden said yesterday that he and running mate Barack Obama could pursue criminal charges against the Bush administration if they are elected in November.
Biden's comments, first reported by ABC news, attracted little notice on a day dominated by the drama surrounding his Republican counterpart, Alaska governor Sarah Palin.
But his statements represent the Democrats' strongest vow so far this year to investigate alleged misdeeds committed during the Bush years.
"If there has been a basis upon which you can pursue someone for a criminal violation, they will be pursued," Biden said during a campaign event in Deerfield Beach, Florida, according to ABC.
"[N]ot out of vengeance, not out of retribution," he added, "out of the need to preserve the notion that no one, no attorney general, no president -- no one is above the law."
Obama sounded a similar note in April, vowing that if elected, he would ask his attorney general to initiate a prompt review of Bush-era actions to distinguish between possible "genuine crimes" and "really bad policies".
"[I]f crimes have been committed, they should be investigated," Obama told the Philadelphia Daily News. "You're also right that I would not want my first term consumed by what was perceived on the part of Republicans as a partisan witch hunt, because I think we've got too many problems we've got to solve."
Congressional Democrats have issued a flurry of subpoenas this year to senior Bush administration aides as part of a broad inquiry into the authorisation of torturous interrogation tactics used at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.
Three veterans of the Bush White House have been held in criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to respond to subpoenas: former counsel Harriet Miers, former political adviser Karl Rove, and current chief of staff Josh Bolten. The contempt battle is currently before a federal court.
by Abraham H. Miller Rezko, Obama, and Chicago Corruption July 05, 2008 10:00 AM EST
Rezko, Obama, the Chicago Combine: Corruption We Can Believe In
Abraham H. Miller
If Tony Rezko were young, blonde and disappeared on a Caribbean Island, Greta Van Sustern would have been all over the Rezko trial. And that very particular Chicago definition of 'clout' would have been ingrained in everyone's lexicon.
But Tony (Antoin) Rezko is simply another middle-aged, bald, Chicago developer who was involved in an influence peddling and kick-back scheme that was connected to a number of politicians, a couple of pension funds, an Iraqi businessman (prepared to upfront millions for bail) and, oh yes, Senator Barack Obama. A jury hit Tony with a conviction on sixteen felony counts out of twenty four in the indictment.
Corruption, at least corruption old-fashioned Chicago style, is par for the city's political culture. Unlike corruption in other cities, Chicago corruption usually trickled down to the little guy. The myth is that everyone benefited. Of course, some people benefited a lot more than others.
And Chicago corruption was always underscored by a nice dose of reality. When one prominent politician was asked about directing the city's insurance business to his relatives, he gave a resoundingly uncomplicated answer: Why would anyone bother to go into politics, if he couldn't throw a little business to his loved ones.
We Chicagoans can resonate to the crisp truthfulness of the response.
Unlike academia where the corruption is so intense, the stakes are so small, and the justifications truly Kafkaesque, the guy on the right side of the take in Chicago could, well, like Tony Rezko, buy a great mansion in fashionable Wilmette, or like Barack Obama get a real discount on a mansion in trendy and liberal Hyde Park-Kenwood.
No further rationale would be required.
Since 1972, on average two Chicago politicians per year have been convicted of felonies. In 1991, when not one Chicago Alderman was convicted or even indicted, the Sun-Times ran that deviant event as a front-page story.
Michelle Obama spent just three years at the Chicago Law Firm of Sidley Austin, far less than a typical associate on the career path to be partner. In a move incongruous with the alleged iconic credentials that are a mainstay of the Michelle hagiography, she took a job with the Democratic machine.
Probably some people think you leave a high- powered, prestigious law firm like Sidley Austin to take a job with the Chicago machine to save the world. But no one who knows how Chicago works is going to buy that!
Michelle was subsequently hired by the University of Chicago, ultimately ending up as the University of Chicago Hospital's Vice President for External Affairs. Barack was chair of the Illinois Senate's powerful Health and Human Services Committee, the position tied by some to the Rezko scandal.
If you don't get the picture, you are definitely not from Chicago.
In 2007 the not-for-profit University of Chicago hospital turned out a profit of 143 million, and is up 118 million for 2008. The hospital is scheduled to receive a 30 million infusion from Medicaid, and will be turning some of its Medicaid patients to another hospital to free up space for its private insurance paying patients. According to the (London ) Daily Mail (online), in 2006 the hospital turned away an indigent man, who died.
When Michelle exhorts young people to turn down the profit system and do something meaningful with their lives, apparently this is not the example she means to convey.
Now you might ask what does a community relations director at a university do? That's really a naïve question. The question is who does the community relation's director know?
The answer became apparent when Barack was elected to the U.S. Senate and Michelle's salary more than doubled.
Barack and Michelle were a power couple hooked into the Democratic machine. Tony Rezko cultivated them, the Chicago Way. When the Obamas bought their mansion in trendy Hyde Park-Kenwood, Mrs. Rezko bought the lot next door for asking price in a coordinated deal from the same seller. The Obamas got their house at a discount. Mrs. Rezko paid full price. Later, Mrs. Rezko sold part of the lot to the Obamas to expand their back yard.
What Rezko wanted from Obama became apparent later.
To understand the genius of Rezko, you need to understand that for generations, corruption in Chicago was partisan specific. As my mother used to say when she split her ticket, 'You need some Republicans. Then the machine can't steal as much.'
But then came the Chicago Combine: bipartisan corruption you could believe in. Rezko established a typical Chicago 'pay for play' scheme, but one that crossed party lines. You want to build a hospital, you had to pay Rezko, who paid the appropriate people who could help you play. The problem that Rezko faced was the hospital board had fifteen members and that is a lot of people to bribe and a lot of loose ends. But then Rezko had a friend who chaired the Illinois Senate's Health and Human Services Committee.
Enter State Senator Barack Obama, who is credited as the moving force behind a piece of bipartisan legislation (Il. Senate Bill 1332) that reduced the hospital board to nine people, to be appointed by Governor Rod Blagojevich (know as Governor 'Blago') with advice and consent of the Illinois Senate.
Blago immediately appointed three physicians, Rezko cronies with similar Middle Eastern backgrounds, all of whom were coincidentally big contributors to Barack Obama. As they say downtown, Barack knows how to walk the Chicago Way. Rezko became the guy you saw if you wanted to build a health care facility. He controlled the board's votes.
The three appointed physicians have been convicted in the Federal probe and are rumored to be about ready to sing.
Rumor also has it that Patricia Blagojevich, the governor's wife, is next in line for an indictment. The Chicago press is now 24/7 on active 'Patti Watch.'
For his part, Rezko just sent a 'I will not rat out my pals letter,' to United States District Judge Amy St. Eve. Veteran observers of the Chicago crime scene note that the guys who don't sing, don't write letters. They just clam up. You write a letter because you want the other guys to be reminded to take care of your wife and kids'college is expensive.
So, what else does Rezko expect, a presidential pardon, ala Bill Clinton and Carlos Vignali, the dope dealer Clinton's brother-in-law, Hugh Rodham, represented?
So, here's the deal. If you don't want a president making it in the alcove near the Oval Office, don't elect a guy with a history as a rake and a swordsman. If you don't want a president who can't negotiate with the majority of his own party, don't elect a backwoods, Southern governor with a Jesus complex. If you don't want a president who orders the break in of the opposition, don't elect a guy whose career was saturated by paranoia.
And if you want to make sure that the White House is not going to be tainted by corruption, don't elect a president who grew up in the Chicago political system and whose wife thinks that the country owes her some palliative to eliminate her sense of personal shame. Because unlike the stock market, when it comes to human behavior, past performance really is indicative of future results.
Abraham H. Miller is an emeritus professor of political science. He grew up in Chicago's notorious 24th Ward, and he is author of a recent work of Chicago-based fiction, 'Vorshavsky: A Chicago Story.'
It doesn't surprise me about the Obama's. Whenever I hear him talk I don't feel any sincerity from him or his wife AT ALL!! I even think he hood winked Oprah on this one. And she seems totally driven by his race only. Obama and his wife are just a BIG YAWN to me!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
In her Aug. 30 column, Mona Charen very succinctly describes the chameleonlike behavior of Michelle Obama now that her husband is running for president. Butter would not melt in her mouth as she addressed the Democratic National Convention last week. It seems that “for the first time in her adult life,” she is proud of her country. In the case of Barack Obama himself, I think the description “trojan horse” would better suit him. As he waits at the gates of the White House, one has to wonder exactly what his real intentions are if he is elected. I am afraid we would see a different Obama come next year. The trapdoor under the horse will open, and out will come a lot of things that we did not bargain for — such as the appointment of a heavily left-leaning staff, appeasement in foreign policy and massive increases in government spending with the associated increases in taxation. I do not think I really know Barack Obama. He puts on a really good show and is undoubtedly very charismatic. What he really intends to do as president I do not know, but his track record gives me great cause for concern. I cannot support such a candidate. I will be voting for the Mc-Cain team. SIDNEY J. WOODCOCK Niskayuna
If you want an education on the real Obama just Google "Obama and corruption in Chicago". It explains how Obama was selected by Chicago's corrupt machine and there were bribes to get votes for him. Very educational and the liberal press won't touch this issue for fear of exposing their chosen one.
I was told that Biden is a war hero from Vietnam so I don't know where this here is coming from plus his sons are fighting the war in Iraq so you have to give him the credit. He is very conservative too much more than McCain and the broad he picked.
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