1. Bitter Brother wrote:

Very well stated Marc. My sentiments exactly! That is coming from a person who woke up this morning postured to challenge the views of everyone whom I expected to overstate the significance of yesterday for America.

2. Miss Martin wrote:

I especially love this part:

For America to truly mature, we must not only acknowledge its bright light, we must also come to terms with its dark underside.. Militarism, violence, consumerism, homophobia, patriarchy, anti-intellectualism, and countless other hallmarks of the American empire must die in order for a new, more mature America to be born. Otherwise, we have done nothing more than put a slave in charge of the plantation.

I definitely am feeling that Dr. Marc…and concur

3. econwhat wrote:

A “chiseled in stone” commitment kept me from travelling to DC to witness “in person” the inaugural ceremonies, seeing Barack Hussein Obama being sworn in as the FIRST black president of the United States must have been heartwarming to the millions who were there with bright, happy, faces and goodwill! I’m still on President Barack Hussein Obama’s team however doing my part with my money, skill and time to make America better.

But the one that I adore did end up going, staying at the J. W. Marriot Hotel, she sent me pictures from her rooms’ window-view that showed both the District of Columbia flag and the flag of the United States of America in between both flags was President Obama’s car flanked by four men walking beside it. What a great photo!!! She stated that a Philanthropist donated 600 rooms to charity and she was able to obtain one of them because of the work she does…How happy I am for her…she doesn’t brown-nose but things seem to come her way naturally…I’ll get more details when she returns this weekend, hopefully.

Oh yeah, great speech, saw Bush squirm, and we were once again challenged to make life adjustments that will be uncomfortable and perhaps costly to you and those around you but will be beneficial to you and others if we listen carefully to our directive and act on it quickly. No shuckin’ and jivin’ cause we ain’t got the time anymore!

“May the Force be With You” and “May No One Threaten to Cut Off Your Balls.” hehehehe

4. econwhat wrote:

Anyone see the The Nation mag cover by John Mayroudis?

I saw Jesse Jackson in it and he didn’t look like he wanted to cut balls off this time, but one never knows…the dark underside of a person’s heart and mind, do we?

5. econwhat wrote:

Anyone see the The Nation mag cover by John Mayroudis?

I saw Jesse Jackson in it and he didn’t look like he wanted to cut balls off this time, but one never knows…the dark underside of a person’s heart and mind, do we?

6. econowhat wrote:

Anyone see the The Nation mag cover by John Mayroudis?

I saw Jesse Jackson in it and he didn’t look like he wanted to cut balls off this time, but one never knows…the dark underside of a person’s heart and mind, now do we?

This year I would like to ask Jesse Jackson, not to grow old but to grow up, to hear the Call from God above and act on it, the the Reverend you were “CALLED” to be!

7. Gabe wrote:

Excellent points thru and thru. Having been in DC and conversed with many of those in for this “historic moment,” it was interesting, and in many ways quite unfortunate, to note so many who were willing to gloss over some of his not-so-progressive stances. Time will tell and we have to be agents of accountability.

8. Garrett wrote:

We’ll remain a divided country because we can’t come to a consensus of what it means to be “good citizens”. In addition, our fundamental views of the social contract aren’t compatible. You folks on the left have your definitions, we on the right have ours. The row boat will continue to go in circles.

The Messiah is in the seat for now, but a lot of us are working towards the goal of ensuring that it’s only a four year gig.

Soon the Messiah will see that in fact, the servant is the master.

The Loyal Opposition.

9. R.oB. wrote:

I’m disappointed in you, Marc. It’s hard to respect this:

After all, the working poor will be no happier to know that a black man is undermining their prosperity. Gays and lesbians will see no moral victory in having their civil rights stripped away by fellow minority. Continental Africans will find no solace in the fact that one of their sons is aiding and abetting its exploitation. For America to truly mature, we must not only acknowledge its bright light, we must also come to terms with its dark underside…

How is that our nation’s interests? Further you claim that Obama represents them? You quite literally fabricated reasons to hate on the man before his first full day in office! On a day when people were quite literally brought to tears of joy at his inauguration, on a day when that man you insulted remembered those nameless and faceless in his first few official words as President, this strikes of bitterness and pettiness. Even worse, it’s sloppy on the facts.

How does pushing for $9.50/hour undermining the prosperity of the working poor? When does expanding hate crime status, full civil unions, and expanding workplace and adoption discrimination protection to the LBGT community amount to stripping their civil rights away? On Africa, if you use a product Made in China you’ve abetted genocide. So you may have a point there…

If Obama does in fact do the things you list, set phasers on rhetorical kill (forget a stun setting) and blast away. But let’s keep this real and not haterade.

10. Clifton Harrison wrote:

smh….Garrett…i hope that one day you will look yourself in the mirror, and realize that all the hate isn’t good for you. He’s not “The Messiah”..He’s Mr. President. Act like you know…

11. Clifton Harrison wrote:

I hear you R.oB. as well as Marc. I think that the critics and people who have their doubts about Mr. President have valid reasons, but I also think that we can wait until the guy settles in before we start debating if he has helped or hurt the country…

12. Garrett wrote:

Mr. Messiah, then.

13. Garrett wrote:

A great read:

http://www.redstate.com/leon_h_wolf/2009/01/20/hoping-obama-is-a-failure/

I, too, hope you fail, Mr. Messiah.

Romney/Jindal 2012

14. Marc Lamont Hill wrote:

First, Rob, I think you should reread the piece. Nowhere in this post, do I say that Obama believes those things. What I said, and what everyone else seemed to grasp, was that we must not merely be satisfied with Obama as president; he must actually DO something to change the world. morei importantly, we as citizens must assume responsibility for that as well. I didn’t say that he wouldn’t be successful, nor did I ascribe those evil thing things (anti-civil rights, homphobia, exploitation) to him. Rather, I’m saying that these are issues that we as a nation confront. (and yes, i would argue that america’s state interests have always hinged upon the suffering of many folk). Furthermore, a black man who only reinforces the status quo is no better for us than anyone else. My point wasn’t to blame obama or describe his agenda, but simply to say that we cannot be satisfied, YET.If we are, then we let everyone off the hook.

As far as me “hating,” i find that to be such a reactionary, simplistic and dismissive critique. I don’t want to be president. I’m not “bitter” or jealous or anything else. I’m simply providing my analysis of the moment. (Ironically, though not the point, I didn’t say one thing critical about Obama in the whole piece)If we can’t do that, then this is going to be a scary 4 years…

15. Marc Lamont Hill wrote:

Clifton,

What are you talking abot? When did I make an assessment of whether or not he hurt the country? All I said was that if he were to turn out to be ineffective, it wouldn’t matter that he was black. my point is to challenge us to be diligent citizens and to raise our expectation beyond mere representation…

16. Bitter Brother wrote:

Rob…it’s ok to say sorry. You totally misread that paragraph.

17. Clifton Harrison wrote:

hmm, well maybe i should have clarified. I agree with your statement Marc. I was just trying to say that I think we should be diligent citizens and not just be happy that he’s office, keep a watchful eye and critique his decisions/policies, etc. I think WE SHOULD do all of that…but can we just chill for a few days.

When I say Obama walking up to be sworn in, and he had that look on his face, it truly hit me. That man has more weight on his shoulders than i think we won’t understand until 15, 20 years later.

In the sense of him representing Black people for the first tim and him being so young and what some would say “inexperienced”. He has to handle all of that pressure while dealing with some of our Nation’s toughest times (atleast in my lifetime anyway).

All I’m saying is, critique is good, but just let the brother live for a second..that’s all.

18. DCI74 wrote:

Very interesting read Marc.

Yesterday is not a representation of reaching the mountaintop so to speak, to me it’s the beginning of a labyrinth and President Obama will be going through a great deal of twists, turns, and possible dead ends before cleaning up the mess Bush and his administration has left behind. For at least the next 4 years we will all have the opportunity to view him with eyes of caution and optimism and in the case of the ones who didn’t vote for him, they will view through a lens of pessimism as Garrett I mean “the other Bitter Brother” has proven.

I do appreciate the fact that he has not painted some rosy picture that all ills will be fixed immediately and anyone with an ounce of common sense realizes that, change doesn’t and cannot happen overnight. Even if you disagree with his platform you’d have to really be an extreme hater to not recognize this monumental moment and feel a sense of pride considering we are only one generation removed from legal discrimination. I think of my mother who was one of the first black students to attend an intergrated high school in Sarasota, Florida and she’s only 58. I think of my father and the stories he told me of experiencing overt racism while he played high school ball in CT and college ball at Villanova. But there is still so much work that needs to be done to ensure that all people have the same rights, yes the president is black but we should be furious that women on average still get less pay for the same work as men, not black women or white women but all women. This is a step in the right direction but its just that, one step.

19. Garrett wrote:

Conservatives are optimists and believe in the power of the person. Obama doesn’t have faith in people, he has faith in the government. Snake oil.

20. Garrett wrote:

Huh, who knew that Bush and the Messiah thought alike?

Watch the video:

http://hotair.com/archives/2009/01/21/daily-show-obamas-inaugural-address-not-so-changey/

21. natural nubian wrote:

miss martin (#2) the same part also caught my eye. doc that was really poignant and timely. i went to the ceremony and stood on the lawn and only the dead in spirit could deny the movement and historical impact that took place yesterday. i can now believe because i didn’t until obama was actually sworn in.
sad part is the salty haters like garrett will find nothing positive about obama or his entire term, no matter what they accomplish. and it is their divisive, or as my momma says ’stank,’ attitude that prefers to offer “do-it-my-way” solutions instead of constructive criticism. i feel the era of tearing each other down in order to have your own dictatorship but cloaked under the title claiming to be a “democracy” is starting to be broken down. and those who still prefer to step on others in order to climb their way to the top are having the hardest time adjusting. change is not an event, it’s a process. obama & his team understand this. now it’s just up to us to understand in a society where everything is instant, this mess we’re in will take some time to get out of.

22. Clifton Harrison wrote:

How can you say that Garrett? that doesn’t even make sense….but then again, conservatives are close minded….

23. Garrett wrote:

but then again, progressives don’t have minds . . .

24. DCI74 wrote:

Clif, why are you wasting keystrokes indulging Garrett?

25. DCI74 wrote:

“and those who still prefer to step on others in order to climb their way to the top are having the hardest time adjusting.”

cosign all day nn

26. Garrett wrote:

Conservatives are opposed to his ideology/agenda nn, DCI74, Clif, et al. That’s not hating, that’s politics. Duh.

Come on, everybody sing it!

Barack the Magic Negro lives in D.C.
The L.A. Times, they called him that
‘Cause he’s not authentic like me.
Yeah, the guy from the L.A. paper
Said he makes guilty whites feel good
They’ll vote for him, and not for me
‘Cause he’s not from the hood.

See, real black men, like Snoop Dog,
Or me, or Farrakhan
Have talked the talk, and walked the walk.
Not come in late and won!

Oh, Barack the Magic Negro, lives in D.C.
The L.A. Times, they called him that
‘Cause he’s black, but not authentically.
Oh, Barack the Magic Negro, lives in D.C.
The L.A. Times, they called him that
‘Cause he’s black, but not authentically.

Some say Barack’s “articulate”
And bright and new and “clean.”
The media sure loves this guy,
A white interloper’s dream!
But, when you vote for president,
Watch out, and don’t be fooled!
Don’t vote the Magic Negro in –
‘Cause —

’Cause I won’t have nothing after all these years of sacrifice
And I won’t get justice. This is about justice. This isn’t about me, it’s about justice.
It’s about buffet. I don’t have no buffet and there won’t be any church contributions,
And there’ll be no cash in the collection plate.
There ain’t gonna be no cash money, no walkin’ around money, no phoning money.

27. Clifton Harrison wrote:

You are right DC…and it seems that Garrett took some time off because he knows he’s got ATLEAST 4 years of bs to spew, so I will not address him anymore..

28. Mrs. Rivers wrote:

Last night on my way home, I listened to the local Fox talk radio station. One caller asked the host to name one black president that didnt destroy their country. The host actually entertained her slick ass question and couldnt think of anything and then agreed our country is at risk for the next four years!
This just reminds me == After all of the goodness and excitement on tv and all over this country, there are still haters. So Garrett, I welcome your hatred. Afterall, we couldnt appreciate God’s glory if there wasnt evil in the world. Thanks for keeping us fair and balanced.

29. DCI74 wrote:

Exactly Clif just let him talk to himself.

30. Mikal wrote:

I understand what you saying Marc but there seems to be a negative “twang” to your comments and it some what seems as if it is directed towards Obama. Or maybe I am reading in between the lines to much.

31. Derwin wrote:

Since Garrett doen’t beleive in government, we should let him keep all his wages; no social security taxes and no federal and state taxes withheld and let him provide his own: schools for his children, roads to drive his cars (probably Hummers), food safety inspections, certify his medical doctors, pay his own medical expenses, deal with foreign leaders (I’m sure he’s fluent in several languages, and if he looses his job in this fickle economy, I’m sure he, the individual will make a way without government sponsored unemployment insurance.

D.C. and Cliff, I got 8 years of pinned-up frustration for those conservative miscreats like Garrett. We can’t give up on them; eventually they’ll learn

32. Mikal wrote:

Garrett when you talk about conservatives I hope you are not talking about the republicans because they dont believe in people either they believe in the government also.

Here is the only real difference between democrates and republicans and it is not one is more conservative or liberal then the other. The difference is the mind set behind ones actions. Many republicans equate success with winning. When there is a winner there has to be a loser and republicans want people to lose so that they can win. That is the true reason why they are against “over” taxation. Its the idea that someone who in their eyes should just be allowed to “lose” is going to get some kind of assistance from the government. And this is in every aspect of life from education to disaster relief (Katrina).

Its just collective ego having a need to be superior over other people.

Non of us know what Obama is going to do. Lets all be hopeful. Believe me I voted for Gore yet I was hopeful about Bush.

33. Garrett wrote:

I never said I didn’t believe in government, Derwin. It has a role in the social contract. Leftists such as yourself are just wrong about that role.

If you’d like to get me my tax dollars back, please, give Barry a call. I’d at least take my property taxes back as my children don’t go to the public school. It’s time for vouchers.
Many in the “black community” are in favor of them. But that isn’t up to Barry, that’s up to the state of Massachusetts.

By the way, Derwin, it’s “miscreants”. But if conservatives are depraved and perverse, there isn’t an appropriate adjective to describe progressives.

34. Clifton Harrison wrote:

I hear ya Derwin, but with people like him, they aren’t even willing to open the eyes and ears and work together and hear people out. SO when it’s like that, all you can do is move on and hope that one day they will change…

35. DCI74 wrote:

Derwin, when I take the bus to work if I catch the one at 9:20 there’s always this guy who catches the same one and gives just about everyone fits, just endless nonsensical rambling, begging for spare change and sob story soliloquies. I have learned that if I ignore him he’ll keep quiet or just get bored and bother someone else, so that is how I am going to treat Garrett from here on out so you can have him. If a person is not interested in productive dialog then I have no reason to speak to them or reference any of their points while making mine. He’s all yours lol.

36. Garrett wrote:

We hope one day that you folks will change, too. As from my original post, folks, it’s a zero sum game. From both sides point of view, not just the right side of the aisle.

The Messiah’s call for a new tone means, “Hey, just do as I say”. It’s not backed up by his actions in either the US Senate or Illinois legislature.

Bush campaigned from the right, but didn’t govern so. The Messiah campaigned from the left, but won’t give you all the goodies you folks are looking for.

37. Garrett wrote:

I’m sorry, DCI74, did you say something?

38. Nubian King wrote:

Some people like division. Some people are counting on Obama failing. Those same people will also claim to love America. Whether you are on the right or left, it is hard not to recognize that there is something special stirring in the country. Haters refuse to recognize that the country has been fucked up by Bush and the Right for the past 8 years. A wise man would shut the fuck up and reserve judgment – at least for 30 days or so. Garret has no shame.

Garret’s children don’t go to public school. My kids don’t either. However, everyone doesn’t have to means to send their children to private school. When you go to the voting booth Garrett, is your vote solely about you and no one else?

39. Mikal wrote:

So you should be happy that Obama want give up all the goodies. that means he will govern closer to the way you want. So what are you complaining about.

40. DCI74 wrote:

“Haters refuse to recognize that the country has been fucked up by Bush and the Right for the past 8 years. A wise man would shut the fuck up and reserve judgment – at least for 30 days or so.”

Exactly NK. I was checking out the forums on foxnews.com and redstate.com and it’s just amazing the amount to people in a true state of denial, they can’t even accept a double-failure, the chaos of the last 8 years and then getting their asses handed to them by President Obama. The ignorance is laughable but at the end of the day it’s serious because people are affected. I don’t completely agree with President Obama but I’m going to at least be fair and give him a shot to see what he’s going to do or not do. But to project failure through a veil of hate to me just isn’t productive and really shows a person’s true colors.

41. Akeesha wrote:

Dr. Marc,

I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your words. I think that our communities are so caught up in the fact that we have a black president that we are losing sight of the struggles we continue to face. Our struggles are not going to change because we have a black president. The fact that in 2008, only 53.4% of african americans graduated from high school is proof of that. While volunteering for MLK Day in Allentown, I ran into a black high school senior who asked for advise because her white counselor told her she was not college material and should pick up a trade. Our youth are faced with the same discrimination that our parents were faced with.

As you stated, we must not become self-satisfied. I believe that we should put our energy into determining how we as citizens can contribute to this change our new president talks about with such emotion as well as how we can get others to put forth the effort. Just as we put forth unified efforts to get President Obama elected, we must continue to put forth those same efforts to make sure he follows through to fulfill his promises.

Sincerely,

Akeesha

42. gigi wrote:

Marc,

I have my psychic antenna up…and prediction for your Obama report card at the end of his term is going to B-/+.

You will disagree with him on certain topics but when it’s all said and done… Obama is going to earn your respect.

43. gigi wrote:

THis just in…I got another psychic flash. You will be leaving
FNC very soon.

44. Tom Penn wrote:

The one word that seems to come up most frequently regarding reviews and analysis President Obama’s Inaugural Address is ::sobering::

After we Americans sober up from our inaugural high, we better re-read those first words uttered by our new president. His first speech as the nation’s new leader was very serious. A new report out today confirmed his inaugural tone, as it now appears that his recovery plan may take “years” to stimulate the economy. That, plus news of even deeper problems with the nations banking system is like hearing a loud noise after the biggest partyin’ hangover.

I still can’t believe, that with an economic crisis and two wars the president is looking to tackle health care, medicare, social security AND energy as well. With expectations so ridiculously high, I’m afraid that our new Commander-in-Chief has bitten off even more than HE can chew. I just hope that we have not set ourselves up for some huge disillusionment in the next few years.

45. R.oB. wrote:

Marc,

I did in fact reread the post because I was so taken aback. I don’t read the word “will” as “would.” That’s the engineer in me. If you said, “After all, the working poor would be no happier to know that a black man is undermining their prosperity,” I would have understood your sense correctly. As for the bitterness, I share it you in the monstrous moral failures in this country and thought you might be conflating that with Obama. (Maybe I was conflating you with Bitter Brother? Ha! ) I’m sorry for calling it petty but understand I thought you were making an unfair criticism at a time that was so wrong to make such criticisms. Lastly, I’m sorry to be reactionary on the haterade comment. I was just so shocked.

Still love,
-RoB

46. Garrett wrote:

Why should I be ashamed of my political beliefs? Is Obama ashamed of his? I also firmly believe that much of Obama’s agenda would be bad for the country. I don’t need thirty days or thirty months to reach that conclusion.

Conservative policy, say for example, school vouchers, is good for all parents, not just me and my children. Many parents, of all socio-economic backgrounds, are in favor of school vouchers.

As far as the Messiah’s economic “stimulus”. Well, that’s just plain laughable. Not everyone out of work can help paint a bridge or build a bike path. His plan isn’t going to encourage growth in sectors that can employ a wide array of people.

“I just hope that we have not set ourselves up for some huge disillusionment in the next few years.”

By 2010, if not sooner, that statement will be QEF.

47. Garrett wrote:

Plus, I believe at least 56 million people or so were not smitten by the Messiah.

His victory wasn’t exactly Reagan-esque.

48. R.oB. wrote:

DC and NK,

I wouldn’t go so far as to ignore Garrett, but your points are well taken. He is (as far as he has been able to show us) an ideologue. His truth is dogma. He doesn’t seek to find truth (and IMHO wisdom). It is useless to attempt fruitful discussion around dogma. It’s difficult to defend as an ideologue. Why do you think he must resort to snide comments and sarcasm to confront us?

What I would respect and relish is a conservative cat who (a) took the time to understand my thinking and (b) asked me questions that challenged my assumptions. That’s when you know you are dealing with someone who cares and is useful in developing wisdom. We all know a lot on this blog, but wisdom is so rare.

49. Frichy wrote:

Dr. Hill,

Your ability to analyze and critique the occasion of having the first black president is beyond refreshing. It feels so unnatural to have so many people willing to tolerate so much, from politicians who do so little for the very people they’ve been elected to serve. For us as Black folk, it is especially out of step with our strong tradition of holding our people to high standards and expecting nothing less than the best from them. It is common knowledge that whenever you are presenting for a black audience or constituency, you always step up your game because you know the high standard you’re being held to. We are a people who have always been the best at what we do because we have always had to out perform the rest in order to get ahead. This is precisely whey excellence has never been a character trait that we have shied away from. We have a long history of not wavering in the face of adversity, which is why we can count ourselves among the most progressive people on the planet. So this inability to tolerate situations where expectations are set for president Obama’s service to the people who have employed him, is a bit twisted to the point of being unhealthy.

Dr. Hill, please continue to express your observations and analysis because your clarity of thought and articulate expression is what will keep us from traveling down a path where we forget to collect the dividends from our investment. This is especially true, when so many of us seem to be caught up in the symbolism, pomp and circumstance of it all.

50. Garrett wrote:

Leftists have ideas, but conservatives have dogma. That’s a hoot. Geez, Rob, you frame things (read: lie) just like Obama.

I care about results for this country, not rhetoric, which is all Obama is. Want to create true recovery for the economy and help out of work folks? Then don’t do it Obama’s way. Private capital is the way to creat jobs, not government make-work programs that won’t even be implemented for several years.
Look at what the CBO report says.

51. Lisa wrote:

“More importantly, it was written in the blood of legions of nameless and faceless freedom fighters who gave their lives to bring forth a world that they would never see. To ignore the significance of such a moment would not only be cynical, but disrespectful.”

That’s it in a nutshell Mr. Hill. That’s what I’ll say when I see my conservative brother and sister who would not watch and spat on the significance of the day.

I’m afraid, racism still runs deep in their blood. I don’t know how that happened because I am colorblind and so is our Mother. This inauguration is more than just a new day, it’s a New Dawn.

I watched here in Germany. No one moved. Everyone was just as transfixed as Americans that believe that the world could be a better place. You could hear a pin drop between 6-6:30 in this country.

There are some things I would like to see Obama take away, but he won’t and that is the time spent praying during gov’t services like this. We have to separate Church and State. I would like to see Gays have typical civil rights. I would like to see Americans fear of bankruptcy removed as they get the health care they deserve. I would like to see American children’s hunger removed forever before we serve other nations with our federal dollars. I want all wars to end and that the leaders come to the table and show their human compassion. I want the vets to get the treatment they deserve for serving our country…just like Mr. Hill quoted above.

Our world is ripe for hope because no matter what party lever you pull, you want the best for everyone. You want to live in peace. I feel safer now that Obama is in charge. I am pleased that not once during his inauguration did the words War on Terror pass his lips.

Obama is a Global President. He is not a savior because he’s human and is a heartbeat away from death. He is our hope for peace and compromise and compassion for each other.
Let us have our day.

52. R.oB. wrote:

DC and NK,

Just to use Garrett’s response as an example:

Private capital is the way to creat jobs, not government make-work programs that won’t even be implemented for several years.

That quintessential conservative ideology, folks. Framed (read: lie) to mislead not only the hearer but the speaker as well. Nothing new there. In a recession where private capital becomes scarce (read: right now), how is it creating jobs (read again: right now)? That’s GOP faith based economics at work, or rather not at work!

Now standard Keynesian economics states that the government should invest in infrastructure to kickstart the multiplier effect of income expenditure: from the government to the private sector which in turn creates more income spent in the private sector which then creates more income spent in the private sector. That’s Econ 101. And we’ve seen it in just about every recession. Government spending goes into deficits to start the multiplier effect. So far Obama is putting “science in it’s rightful place.”

But back to Garrett. How do you discuss Keynesian economics whether to support or critique when the other party is spouting off “make work” dogma? You don’t. You say, “OK,” and move on. Snide comments? Get that dirt of your shoulder. Why start beef? The world is big enough for everybody.

Garrett,

OK.

53. DCI74 wrote:

I couldn’t agree with you more R.oB. and that’s why I have decided to no longer engage him at all. You are so right his comments are snide and sarcastic and I would much rather have a real discussion where differing perspectives can actually be shared not silly one-liners and juvenile responses. Fortunately I can have those conversations with the Republicans and conservatives I know well because at least there is a level of mutual respect. In those conversations there is no I-have-all-the-knowledge-and-you-don’t viewpoint, I enjoy talking to them because its a shared learning experience, the polar opposite of what occurs here.

But the empty dogma and snide references to the President as the Messiah to me is just silly isn’t designed for mutual dialogue. But the great thing about the Barbershop is it attracts people from all walks of life and I have no doubt there will be someone or even more than one that would willing to meet Garrett at his level and play with him, I’m just not the one.

54. Garrett wrote:

Need we go back and review some of your comments from prior days, DC174? I wouldn’t be throwing stones, if I were you.

All of you folks are just as dogmatic as me. Enough of the “We are the world” hyperbole.

55. DCI74 wrote:

OK Garrett since you insist on acting like the annoying kid in school that wants the teacher’s attention so bad he keeps eating glue and chalk dust I will indulge you.

I’m going to explain one reason why I’m not interested in spending the next 4 years discussing the politics of President Obama and then I’m done. You repeatedly refer to him as the Messiah yet I haven’t spoken to any person or even heard anyone refer to him as such but I understand why you say it. It’s your sarcastic way of saying that you think people believe him to be more than he is, not a man but a savior of all things bad and evil. While I agree there are some that have damn near deified the man I think its pretty fair to so say that the intelligent majority understands he is no messiah but is a man with a lot of work to do who made a lot of promises and we or let me say I logically understand that whatever he does is going to take time and he probably won’t be able to deliver on all of his promises similar to all presidents before him. I get it you are a conservative, you didn’t vote for him so you have every right to be critical but what you don’t seem to get is the ones that voted for him are also going to be critical. Yes there are some that are misguided about what they think Obama will do but they don’t seem to be on the blog so I don’t understand why you choose the words you do when they don’t even apply to the perspective of the individuals that leave comments. It took you like 40-something comments before you offered a concrete alternative to one of Obama’s proposals when you mentioned private capital but everything before that was Messiah this and snake oil that, your bitterness is pungent for real.

So if that’s how it’s going to be then I’ll pass. You’re not bringing real dialog and again I have Republican friends that I can get the kind of conversation that is more appealing to me where there is some kind of willingness to listen and exchange ideas without the insults and juvenile chatter. So yeah you might be able to go back to the archives and find me speaking out of order but much like President Obama I’m about change and moving forward. One of my friends is Yvonne R.Davis, one of the smartest women I have ever met and a diehard Republican and I always learn something new and enjoy talking about politics with her. As a former appointee of Bush I and her wealth of experience adds a lot more credence to her perspective and I appreciate that. Now I don’t know what you do for a living Garrett but I think it’s pretty unlikely you have the political experience of Yvonne but I could be wrong, so Google her. But don’t mind me, in fact it shouldn’t even bother you that I’m ignoring you because as has been proven there are plenty that are willing to take your bait and play with you but I’m done.

56. Garrett wrote:

Here’s an interesting read, with statistics free of dogma:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123258358706104403.html?mod=rss_opinion_main

As far as Ms. Davis’s political bona fides, good for her. I’d suggest, though, that the republican establishment is in need of a house cleaning, as they’ve dropped the ball, both in elected offices and at the RNC.

57. Marc Lamont Hill wrote:

Rob,

I’d be interested in your response to my response (#9)

58. Garrett wrote:

Goodness, there have been plenty of references to Obama as the Messiah, on the net and in print:

http://townhall.com/columnists/BenShapiro/2007/01/31/is_barack_obama_the_messiah

As far as my negativity about Obama, he’s my political enemy. I’m not of the Peggy Noonan school of thought that we should play nice with our political enemies. Does Louis Farrakhan?

59. R.oB. wrote:

Garrett,

You provide good examples. In a nutshell, I’m saying that when you say stuff like this:

Leftists have ideas, but conservatives have dogma. That’s a hoot. Geez, Rob, you frame things (read: lie) just like Obama.

It’s not worth my time to engage you. Why should I since the other party is calling me a liar? Forget about the topic, you’ve already slid into personal attack. I’m trying to be a better Christian so why take that on? Does neither of us any good.

As for liberal ideas vs. conservative dogma, I’ll say this. If you can only spout the rhetoric that you simply repeat without backing it up in ways you opposite party understands or agrees with then yeah you are dogmatic. Insulting people’s intelligence on reinforces that. Now if you said that you think Obama’s programs are make work and asked me how it isn’t without the liar crack, I would have been disposed to discuss it with you because you demonstrated intellectual curiosity and a modicum of respect.

DC,

While the the Black Jesus effect is somewhat disturbing, it is natural. The people are starving for the kind of leader we all want but rarely see. Cornel West described it best in Democracy Matters. I was skeptical because I’m one of those you-get-the-gov’t-you-deserve types. I blamed apathy for most of our political woes, but I’m slowly becoming convinced with Obama’s election that political involvement needed a little Keynesian kick-start. People need a reason to get back in and overcome their jadedness.

What always gets me is how critics get away with downplay his oratory. Reagan was the great communicator right? Presidents have a bully pulpit for a reason. They can’t make Americans be more involved they have to convince them. So I always chuckle when the opposition in classic Rove fashion tries to make a strength a weakness. And after 8 years how such a strategy only works on “the base.”

60. R.oB. wrote:

Marc,

Oh shit! You didn’t see #37? I apologized for being rash. Check it out!

One,
-RoB

61. Marc Lamont Hill wrote:

there’s no #37 on my computer from you… i’ll check out my spam filter..

62. Nubian King wrote:

DC, I totally agree and admire the fact that you have engaged your conservative friends in on-going political dialogue. When I first participated in the “Barbershop”, I found Garrett’s comments about the danger of “Big Government” to be quite interesting. Later, I found Garrett’s views to be totally one-sided and not the type of challenge to my views as a democrat that I was looking for. Over the past 2-years, I have been seeking to better understand the conservative viewpoint and further figure out why and how I have developed the views that I have. I think it would be great (if any of your conservative friends were interested) to join us on occassion on Dr. Hill’s blog. I’d also be curious to know if there is any recommended reading (please not Rush Limbaugh)on “politics of the right”.

Again, I’m not looking to argue, I just want to understand.

63. DCI74 wrote:

I hear you R.oB. and I understand the Black Jesus comparison I’m just concerned that it paints such an unreal expectation for a man who bleeds just like you and I. President Obama is guaranteed to make mistakes there is no doubt about that so those that are desperately seeking new leadership should do so with caution. Change is exciting but we have to be realistic. But you’re right it’s amazing how being a good speaker is being twisted into a flaw.

NK we solidly agree, I’m not looking to argue either because I realize it’s not productive. Whenever engaging in authentic dialog I always ask myself ‘do I want to shout or be heard?’ When I had my radio show it didn’t take me long to understand that no matter what common ground I might have with my guests, it was impossible to agree with them all but we could have spirited mutually-respectful discussions on-air and still kick it at happy hour later in the week. My life would be insanely boring if all of my friends and associates shared the exact same viewpoints that. I was on numerous debate teams so I’m not against a difference of opinion I just see no reason why it can’t be expressed in a mature manner. Garrett wants to call it “we are the world hyperbole” but I’m just calling it maturity and respect. Instead assuming people see Obama as a messiah he could’ve simply asked me what I thought and would’ve realized that we in fact agree that Obama isn’t a savior or messiah but that apparently was too hard so the easy route is to lump everyone on the other side together, a side I’m not even completely on. I am an independent with both liberal and conservative views but if Garrett were really interesting in a real conversation he would have a better understanding of my perspective instead of the wrong one. If you want to know my beliefs just ask but don’t assume and then use that as the basis of your argument because then its flawed from the gate. But again who am I but one person of the many that visit Marc’s blog daily so it’s ok, my absence from engaging Garrett won’t affect anything at all because I have no doubt there will be someone more than happy to deal with him and I’ll just sit back, read and engage others. No biggie.

64. Bitter Brother wrote:

Nubian King, why don’t you join me in infiltrating the conservative blogs. It’s become a daily routine for the past 6 months. I’m especially addicted to causing trouble on the “black” guy James T Harris’ blog (you know…the lonely brown-skinned guy at the Mccain rally who gained infamy by begging the senator to attack Obama). Try it out.

http://nationalconversation.typepad.com/

65. Garrett wrote:

From NRO:

Unreal Expectations?
President Obama asked for them.

By Victor Davis Hanson

For nearly three months since the election, we have been warned by President Obama, his staff, and the media not to burden him with unreal expectations that no mere mortal could meet.

But why then consciously borrow from Abraham Lincoln’s speeches? And why re-create Lincoln’s historic train ride to his inauguration—especially by flying back from Washington to Illinois to then return to D.C. by slow-moving railcar? Lincoln took the train because it was the only feasible way to get to Washington in 1861, not to copy the grand arrival of some earlier American savior.

Candidate Obama once adopted a presidential-like seal. He held a mass rally at Berlin’s Victory Column (after his request for the more dramatic Brandenburg Gate was refused).

He adopted Greek temple sets at the Democratic convention. And like Zeus on Mt. Olympus, he talked about making the planet cool and the oceans recede.

And now he’s capped all that by warning us to lower our expectations!

But if Obama deliberately takes on the trappings of a messiah, why shouldn’t we expect messianic solutions?

The alterations in positions during Obama’s pre-presidency were praised as “flexible“ and “bipartisan.” Perhaps. But Obama did not adjust on just an issue or two. Instead, he went whole hog.

It would be difficult to find a single major policy position that he hasn’t backtracked somewhat on, especially on matters of foreign policy and the war against terror. Yet throughout the campaign, Obama and the media argued that the manner in which Bush waged the war against terror was harmful to the republic. So, were Bush’s polices wrong then, but suddenly right now?

Successfully having it both ways has been evident again on matters of his appointments. Obama defeated Hillary Clinton by running as a Washington outsider who promised new hope and radical change—and anything other than more Bush or Clinton.

Then he imported much of the old Clinton team for governance—Rahm Emanuel, Leon Panetta, John Podesta, Larry Summers, Hillary herself, and a score of others—to put a far more articulate and hip veneer on George Bush’s current foreign policy. The Obama team has drafted more old-style former congressional insiders than any administration in memory.

What is going on here? Apparently, Obama accepts that the country is both still center-right and yet eager for a nontraditional national spokesman—glib, young, cool, and able to charm a hostile world that is often hypocritical toward and envious of America.

In times of economic uncertainty and war, once Obama moved toward the center voters could see him as a trans-racial healer who offered vague change, made them feel good about themselves, and—unlike John McCain—was the antithesis of the stodgy old white guy, George Bush.

But Obama’s hard-left base had promoted Obama the liberal activist for different reasons. They want much more of a state role in the economy, while making American society, at home and abroad, look a lot more European.

So to satisfy both left and center constituencies, Obama seems to stick with the status quo on major issues while offering symbolic gestures and low-profile appointments to radical environmentalists, gay and minority activists, open-borders reformers, and labor unionists.

In return, progressives will stick with Obama for a while, on the assumption that he alone can carefully prep and hypnotize the country to soon accept a more left-wing agenda.

And when anyone seems to object to this off-putting balancing act, Obama returns to soaring rhetoric to soothe away the acrimony the way he once did with the Rev. Wright mess last spring.

This triangulation may or may not work at home. Yet abroad it is a different story, where one cannot vote present or charm tough guys and thugs who do not always appreciate flexibility—and may interpret it as weakness to be exploited.

The Iranians prefer to talk, talk, and talk—while they get the bomb. Vladimir Putin wants consensus and dialogue—about re-establishing a right-wing version of the Soviet Empire. China loans us trillions to buy its goods—with the idea that it will soon leverage our financial policy. Europe wants to be courted while expecting America to both lead and be criticized for leading. The Palestinians for now want Israel gone from the West Bank and Gaza—and, at a not-so-future date, gone, period.

The much-maligned George Bush handled all these characters with often unambiguous, if inelegant, talk, and a no-nonsense toughness. If Obama, in contrast, feels he can offer them vague hope-and-change great-expectations rhetoric, and make himself agreeable to the world abroad in the manner he did so to us at home—well, then, lots of luck!

66. Garrett wrote:

I haven’t seen the sports pages in a while, how’d the Giants,
Eagles and Ravens do in the NFL playoffs?

67. natural nubian wrote:

bottom line is garrett is just like some of my coworkers who don’t like to lose. they remind me of the kid we all played 4-square with in elementary that would storm off once they lost and bumped out their square. they have been winners these past 8 years at the expense of the majority of society, and now their team captian (bush) is no longer able to keep everyone on the opposing team out the game, they are so sour ‘casue they realize (even thought they won’t be caught dead admitting) this new team captain (obama) is not only better than their captian, but actually can make a difference. it’s only obama’s second day as prez and they already are wining. i mean the game hasn’t even started and folks already complaining about the rules! heaven forbid garrett the new rules not cater to you advancing your life & family at the expense of others. my coworker had the nerve to tell me he still thinks obama is secretly a muslim! WTF!?! it’s just foolishness and the more garrett and folks like him bicker and whine with out any concrete facts, the more they only reveal their own deep-rooted ignorance, especially with that “messiah/magic negro” foolishness.

68. jordan wrote:

Speaking of conservatives taking the Obama presidency way too hard…how bizarre was the image of Cheney in the wheel chair? I know he’s had some back issues and was in pain, but he just looked totally crazy. Sober expression, black hat, wheel chair, with his legs draped in a blanket, the whole look said, “Look at what you’re doing to me American People! You’re killing me!” Pure, wackiness.

69. Garrett wrote:

Yeah, that’s me, helping my family advance at the expense of others.

What did you say about concrete facts, nubie?

70. DCI74 wrote:

nn I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that your co-worker still believes that stupd rumor but it really highlights the deep-rooted ignorance of some people. How can Obama be a Muslim and formerly have ties to Rev. Wright’s church for over 20 year at the same time? Where is the evidence of him going from a mosque to a church? Shouldn’t there have been numerous reports of him taking time to pray to the east while on the campaign trail? How can that even be logical? But that just shows when ignorance enters a room logic crawls right out of the window. I love the sports analogy and I thought of a similar one last week. A lot of the disgruntled people that are upset Obama won are like fans of a sports team that just got eliminated and now they’re pissed because Sportscenter is still covering the teams in the running for the title. The election is over, the Repubs and conservatives had 8 awful years to show how out of touch with reality they really are. The unemployment rate is the highest it’s been in 26 years and that’s a huge burden President Obama has inherited. The mistakes that have been made over the last 8 years are serious and lives have been affected and many many people are dead because of the choices of the previous administration and that can’t be understated. It’s insane to attack a new administration when the previous one can’t be defended logically at all.

71. Garrett wrote:

Obama inhereted an economic mess. Was the mess created soley by the republicans?

Let’s look at one of the problems of the economy, the housing market. Further, let’s look at one (please note that I said “one”, not “the”) of the causes of the housing mess, how Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac doled out loans: Who called for more oversite of FM/FM? Who said everything was a-ok? Plenty of C-Span tape showing who said what and when. If the dems are going to run the economic stimulus like they did FM/FM, the economy is even further fucked.

Go Steelers. Although, Arizona has got a certain mojo about them, and Warner is a better QB than Big Ben, so I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Cardinals win. I did pick both San Diego and the Ravens to beat the Steelers. I would like to see Troy Polamalu obliterate Anquan Bolden after a catch, though.

72. Garrett wrote:

Way to go Barney Frank:

“Troubled OneUnited Bank in Boston didn’t look much like a candidate for aid from the Treasury Department’s bank bailout fund last fall.

The Treasury had said it would give money only to healthy banks, to jump-start lending. But OneUnited had seen most of its capital evaporate. Moreover, it was under attack from its regulators for allegations of poor lending practices and executive-pay abuses, including owning a Porsche for its executives’ use.

Nonetheless, in December OneUnited got a $12 million injection from the Treasury’s Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP. One apparent factor: the intercession of Rep. Barney Frank, the powerful head of the House Financial Services Committee.

Mr. Frank, by his own account, wrote into the TARP bill a provision specifically aimed at helping this particular home-state bank. And later, he acknowledges, he spoke to regulators urging that OneUnited be considered for a cash injection.”

Economic stimulus anyone?

73. R.oB. wrote:

Peeps,

Anyone read Conservatives without a Conscience? by John Dean? It catalogues some of the personality traits many conservative followers share. I was skeptical at first until I started recognizing the behaviors from pundits to grassroots. The need to feel superior and display superiority. The hostility to equality. The desire to enforce the costs winning: creating losers. The complete lack of self-reflection.

74. R.oB. wrote:

DC

It’s insane to attack a new administration when the previous one can’t be defended logically at all.

Just look at #54. Now you know why I have no respect at all for the NRO. It fallen far from the highly intellectual, cogent conservatism of its founder. Good ish like that just can’t be found on the Internet. Too much noise.

75. DCI74 wrote:

Yes sir R.oB., yes sir.

76. KSpraggs wrote:

A slave in charge of the plantation … Really? LOL!!

77. anita wrote:

You know how after Thanksgiving dinner you push your chair back just a bit, undo your pants and take that first deep breath? Can you do that doc? can you give him some breathing room, please? I agree, he should be under the same microscope other presidents have endured… But that was his first day…
And I almost didn’t vote, but because of my mama and Mrs. Rivers hounding me about it I did. So I am really into this, k. just sit back for a sec, undo the top button and breath
(and by hounding i mean reminding me that i am accountable)

78. Tara wrote:

Thanks for writing this, and also for your Metro column. I don’t always 100% agree with what you have to say, but I enjoy how you express your ideas and make no apologies! You’re an inspiration.

79. EminemsRevenge wrote:

i KNOW you ain’t old enough to have read Jomo’s editorials from “The Black American,” but i SUSPECT your daddy saved some of those weeklies, and YOU gots your hands on them!

MY blog is a shuck-an’-jiving version of what HE did, but as the Malcolm [ten] video atop it shows…lots of serious crap comes from shiite said in jest

“President Obama will need OUR help, but NOT a free pass,” which i saw in the NY Metro, which for those of your readers aren’t from NYC is the free daily paper…means I gotta step up MY game and cut the minstrel show shenanigans!

i’ll tell YOU here first: i’m gonna transpose your “nothing more than put a slave in charge of the plantation” into something like *the Nigro running the klantation*—which i think ought to be self-explanatory.

Growing up at the tail-end of Jim Crow, it amazed me that the only ones who couldn’t keep the NIGGER out of NEGRO was Malcolm and Martin…even JFK and Bobby had that NIGro enunciation…but they’re from BAWston after all:)

Bro, YOU are the Jomo of THIS generation whether THEY realise it or not…and thanks to YOU i’ll try to refrain from being Tod Clifton danglin’ them dancin’ Sambo dolls

80. Garrett wrote:

Via the NY Times:

January 23, 2009
Freed by U.S., Saudi Becomes a Qaeda Chief
By ROBERT F. WORTH

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The emergence of a former Guantánamo Bay detainee as the deputy leader of Al Qaeda’s Yemeni branch has underscored the potential complications in carrying out the executive order President Obama signed Thursday that the detention center be shut down within a year.

The militant, Said Ali al-Shihri, is suspected of involvement in a deadly bombing of the United States Embassy in Yemen’s capital, Sana, in September. He was released to Saudi Arabia in 2007 and passed through a Saudi rehabilitation program for former jihadists before resurfacing with Al Qaeda in Yemen.

His status was announced in an Internet statement by the militant group and was confirmed by an American counterterrorism official.

“They’re one and the same guy,” said the official, who insisted on anonymity because he was discussing an intelligence analysis. “He returned to Saudi Arabia in 2007, but his movements to Yemen remain unclear.”

The development came as Republican legislators criticized the plan to close the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, detention camp in the absence of any measures for dealing with current detainees. But it also helps explain why the new administration wants to move cautiously, taking time to work out a plan to cope with the complications.

Almost half the camp’s remaining detainees are Yemenis, and efforts to repatriate them depend in part on the creation of a Yemeni rehabilitation program — partly financed by the United States — similar to the Saudi one. Saudi Arabia has claimed that no graduate of its program has returned to terrorism.

“The lesson here is, whoever receives former Guantánamo detainees needs to keep a close eye on them,” the American official said.

Although the Pentagon has said that dozens of released Guantánamo detainees have “returned to the fight,” its claim is difficult to document, and has been met with skepticism. In any case, few of the former detainees, if any, are thought to have become leaders of a major terrorist organization like Al Qaeda in Yemen, a mostly homegrown group that experts say has been reinforced by foreign fighters.

Long considered a haven for jihadists, Yemen, a desperately poor country in the southern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, has witnessed a rising number of attacks over the past year. American officials say they suspect that Mr. Shihri may have been involved in the car bombings outside the American Embassy in Sana last September that killed 16 people, including six attackers.

In the Internet statement, Al Qaeda in Yemen identified its new deputy leader as Abu Sayyaf al-Shihri, saying he returned from Guantánamo to his native Saudi Arabia and then traveled to Yemen “more than 10 months ago.” That corresponds roughly to the return of Mr. Shihri, a Saudi who was released from Guantánamo in November 2007. Abu Sayyaf is a nom de guerre, commonly used by jihadists in place of their real name or first name.

A Saudi security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Mr. Shihri had disappeared from his home in Saudi Arabia last year after finishing the rehabilitation program.

A Yemeni journalist who interviewed Al Qaeda’s leaders in Yemen last year, Abdulela Shaya, confirmed Thursday that the deputy leader was indeed Mr. Shihri, the former Guantánamo detainee. Mr. Shaya, in a phone interview, said Mr. Shihri had described to him his journey from Cuba to Yemen and supplied his Guantánamo detention number, 372. That is the correct number, Pentagon documents show.

“It seems certain from all the sources we have that this is the same individual who was released from Guantánamo in 2007,” said Gregory Johnsen, a terrorism analyst and the editor of a forthcoming book, “Islam and Insurgency in Yemen.”

Mr. Shihri, 35, trained in urban warfare tactics at a camp north of Kabul, Afghanistan, according to documents released by the Pentagon as part of his Guantánamo dossier. Two weeks after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he traveled to Afghanistan via Bahrain and Pakistan, and he later told American investigators that his intention was to do relief work, the documents say. He was wounded in an airstrike and spent a month and a half recovering in a hospital in Pakistan.

The documents state that Mr. Shihri met with a group of “extremists” in Iran and helped them get into Afghanistan. They also say he was accused of trying to arrange the assassination of a writer, in accordance with a fatwa, or religious order, issued by an extremist cleric.

However, under a heading describing reasons for Mr. Shihri’s possible release from Guantánamo, the documents say he claimed that he traveled to Iran “to purchase carpets for his store” in Saudi Arabia. They also say that he denied knowledge of any terrorists or terrorist activities, and that he “related that if released, he would like to return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, wherein he would reunite with his family.”

“The detainee stated he would attempt to work at his family’s furniture store if it is still in business,” the documents say.

The Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda has carried out a number of terrorist attacks over the past year, culminating in the assault on the American Embassy in Sana on Sept. 16. In that assault, the attackers disguised themselves as Yemeni policemen and detonated two car bombs. The group has also begun releasing sophisticated Internet material, in what appears to be a bid to gain more recruits.

Yemen began cooperating with the United States on counterterrorism activities in late 2001. But the partnership has been a troubled one, with American officials accusing Yemen of paroling dangerous terrorists, including some who were wanted in the United States. Some high-level terrorism suspects have also mysteriously escaped from Yemeni jails. The disagreements and security lapses have complicated efforts to repatriate the 100 or so Yemenis remaining in Guantánamo.

Despite some notable Yemeni successes in fighting terrorist groups, Al Qaeda in Yemen appears to be gaining strength.

“They are bringing Saudi fighters in, and they want to start to use Yemen as a base for attacks throughout region, including Saudi Arabia and the Horn of Africa,” said Mr. Johnsen, an expert on Al Qaeda in Yemen.

Eric Schmitt contributed reporting from Washington; Khalid al-Hammadi from Sana, Yemen; and Muhammad al-Milfy from Beirut.

81. R.oB. wrote:

This is why printing articles isn’t a conversation. It too 5 minutes on Google.

Guantanamo detainee still has faith in America
Chicago Sun-Times

Publication Date: January 15, 2007
Author: Spaulding, Douglas K.
The 28-year-old Saudi flashed a broad smile and greeted me warmly as I entered the small hut. He was in leg irons, chained to the floor. He had been locked up for five years — since he was 23 — in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

He and more than 400 other prisoners still jailed there have never been charged with any criminal offense or violation of the laws of war. He never took up arms against the United States, and yet he is labeled an “enemy combatant.” He has been robbed of the very prime of his life, imprisoned and deprived of even the most rudimentary of human rights and dignity. I did not expect that he would be the one to explain so clearly how, and indeed why, America will win the war on terrorism.

But then again, a year ago, I would not have guessed that today I would be representing on a pro bono basis three of the Guantanamo Bay detainees. I grew up in a Marine Corps family. My father was a career Marine officer who left a young widow and seven children when he was killed in Vietnam in 1966. My mother was a Marine in World War II, and when I graduated from college in 1970, I served four proud years as a Marine infantry troop leader.

For the last 30 years I have been a lawyer, representing at times some of the largest companies in the country. Sitting next to me in the hut was my partner Bernie Casey, a former Army lawyer who served in Vietnam before embarking upon a distinguished career in private law practice spanning more than 35 years.

Through our interpreter we explained to our client that we had volunteered to be his lawyers, and that we had filed a petition for habeas corpus, asking the court in Washington, D.C., to require the government to show why it is detaining him. We also told him that the president, as we spoke, was at a Rose Garden ceremony signing a new law that would strip the court of jurisdiction to hear our case. We assured him that we, and lawyers for other detainees, were challenging the new law as an unconstitutional suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, and we told him about our independent judiciary and how the Supreme Court’s prior rulings rejected the Bush administration’s efforts to take away the rights of detainees to have lawyers and challenge their confinement.

At this point our client interjected, and in a strong, clear voice he began to articulate how, and why, the United States will defeat the forces of terrorism. He told us that he knows about America — from his father, who worked for the Arab American Oil Company, and his father’s American friends, and also from his own education and reading. He is college educated, and for a period of time was an elementary school teacher.

In his own direct and powerful words, this Saudi detainee shared with us his vision of America, a vision that for me was beginning to slip away. He firmly believes that the injustice of Guantanamo cannot continue because “America is the flag-holder of freedom and democracy.”

Even though now he is imprisoned and deprived of basic rights, he nonetheless believes that there is “a good side of America … that is not happy with what is happening here. Even if the president himself challenges freedom, everyone has to abide by that which they fought for. American democracy was won as a result of American bloodshed. In the end, the right side must win.”

From his prison cell in Guantanamo, this young Saudi still clings to the vision of an America that Ronald Reagan once described as the “shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere.” We will ultimately win against the forces of terror not because we are militarily stronger or because we lock up more young men in Guantanamo, but because we must, and we will, rediscover our moral compass and the basic principles of freedom and democracy that lie at the core of who we are.

In so doing we will extinguish many of the fires that fuel anti-American resentment and rekindle a vision of America that so many people around the world want so desperately to believe in — a vision so strong it still shines in the mind of a young man that our government has accused of being a terrorist.

His faith in America has renewed my own commitment to press for a return to our core values. He has reminded me that doing so will make us stronger as a country — not weaker. We have the might to defeat terrorism. Now let us restore America’s righteousness because, “In the end, the right side must win.”

82. Garrett wrote:

Oh, he says he’s innocent? Gosh, let him go, then.

83. Marc Lamont Hill wrote:

lol

84. Mikal wrote:

Garrett to much conservative talk radio is bad for your conciousness and good for your ego. I know I am former conservative talk addict and been in recovery for almost 3 months now. Feels good you should try it.

85. R.oB. wrote:

#68 — Jokes. Just to be clear, you are making fun of a Marine who actually served, right?

86. Mikal wrote:

R.oB. I dont know if you are referring to my comment but I am not joking. I wasnt making any references towards any marines or articles posted on this site I was just trying to say that Garrett sounds just like Sean Hannity, Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh and the people that call the show to kiss the rings and say “look look I am a conservative also we are so much better than them dumb stuck up liberals”. Thats all I was saying.

87. R.oB. wrote:

No #68 was Garretts post

88. Marc Lamont Hill wrote:

rob, i think there’s something wrong with your browser. i’ve noticed on multiple times that you see things we don’t. (note: i’m not being sarcastic). on my screen #68 is from mikal…

89. R.oB. wrote:

Could me a Safari thing. I’ve tried my laptop, my wife’s laptop, my desktop, and HTPC. All show the list with the same numbering.

90. Tom wrote:

Unfortunately, I don’t really agree that we are maturing very much, at least in the sense that we have gained wisdom. On the contrary, it’s a lack thereof, that causes people to continually refer to Obama as Messiah, or Bush as Liar. These attacks don’t encourage solutions, just more conflict. In my opinion, it’s also a lack thereof, that causes people to continue to treat relatively narrow victories, whether for Bush or Obama, as though they’re mandates from the masses.

I’m a very middle of the road guy, and I can’t stand that craziness. Just look at the whole debacle during the campaign, with the first bailout package, or whatever that was supposed to be. The two parties had apparently reached an agreement, but the Democrats came right out and had their own press conference, congratulating themselves, instead of thinking of how much more beneficial it would be to demonstrate solidarity, both for the image of their party, and for the spiritual health of the nation.

Naturally, the deal then fell through. Just like the outgoing Republicans, they threw away their first opportunity to steer this ship in a new, enlightened direction. They didn’t do Obama any favors there, and unfortunately for him, it doesn’t look like they’re going to anytime soon, either.

But that’s just me. I have this insane notion that it would be better to pursue a steady path toward mutually beneficial solutions, than to continue to give privileged politicians and ideologues from both sides more encouragement to keep the good ol’ spoils game going.

As for us, we really need to be mindful of the danger in being overly partisan, and therefore too tolerant of the inappropriate things that people who share our politics say and do. Garrett may be shooting himself in the foot with some of his rhetoric, but calling him “hater” or “kid”, just shoots your foot, too.

I wish the best for President Obama, as I did for President Bush. I’m happy for African-Americans, but leery of others, who react to him like he’s the liberal ideology’s Elvis, or something. He’s a politician, who probably did his own share of questionable things on his way up the ladder. A grain of salt is always needed with these people. Let’s wait and see.

But we can definitely take heart in the fact that we, as a nation of people, have indeed become more tolerant. We’ve come a long way, including major leaps in how, for example, gay and lesbian people are perceived. But these things take time, and patience. Don’t be so quick to start a war, in order to get the rest right this minute. People don’t react well to being bullied. Let’s just appreciate how far we’ve come, continue to encourage constructive dialog, and keep hope for the future.