No More Incumbents Blog

A friend of mine sent me a viral email tonight and I normally do not review those types of things here, but I think with the excess prevalence of religion attempting to influence politics, it might actually fit.

If you have any doubts about the religious problem in politics just view the preceding article talking about how people and campaigns are in an uproar about Barack Obama and Hillary dressed in Muslim and foreign clothing.

So anyway the email provides an image of the new dollar coin.  It has a nice story about a person that goes to the post office, gets change back in the form of the new dollar coin.  The person that receives the change is ‘in the know’ and asks to exchange the $1 coin for a $1 bill because the new coins do not have the words “in god we trust” on them.

Now, I am not a christian.  I was raised as a christian but I gave up the religion a long time ago.  That said, I seem to recall that christianity has a bit of a problem with both idolatry(Moses) and with money(Jesus).

If you ask what would Jesus do?

The Bible and other books indicate that he would go into a bank and throw a fit. 

And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, - King James Bible

He’d probably get arrested today, and under the Bush Administration he’d probably be shipped to a secret prison under the suspicion of being a terrorist.

You would think given the lessons and teachings of christianity that christians would actually embrace the removal of the phrase of a dollar that has grown into an idol of its own.

But instead they would trash the value of the dollar by refusing to accept it without the magic words, that by the way were not endorsed by god or anything, on money.  Would Moses have considered the golden calf as an OK symbol if someone had simply stamped in Ancient Hebrew the words “in god we trust’ on the stomach of the statue?  I kind of doubt it.

So anyway, I find this to be rather a silly issue, but unfortunately when religion meets the road with politics, things that should be silly and inconsequential get blown up out of proportion.  (both figuratively and literally)

On the Lighter side here is a link to the blog Channel Fever which has a video with Dick Cheney on a Silver Dollar with the words “In Greed we Trust” at the bottom of the coin.  Much more fitting.

Funny Stuff!

The picture below features Barack Obama LOOKING Presidential.  He is dressed in the garb of a Somali leader in 2006.

I say again, he does look Presidential.  He’s going out to meet leaders from other countries and learn their culture, making connections and as the military would put it, winning the hearts and minds.

Apparently Barack Obama or his campaign did not realize that this picture features their candidate looking Presidential.  They attacked the Clinton campaign for leaking the photo to a number of websites over the weekend.

Barack Makes mistakes and Gets Caught in Trap

If the Clinton’s or whomever did it, leaked the photo on purpose, then it was a trap, and Barack Obama didn’t have the leadership or insight to sense the quagmire of the trap, avoid the trap and even use the trap to his own advantage.  Instead like George Bush looking for the Holy Grail of Mass Terrorism Destruction, Barack Obama tripped the trap and was ensnared.

the Obama campaign charged that Clinton aides had leaked the photo - taken during a 2006 trip to Africa - the Clinton campaign manager, Maggie Williams, tried to turn the matter back at the Obama team, even though her camp has not denied any role in distributing the photo.

“If Barack Obama’s campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed,” Williams said in a statement. “Hillary Clinton has worn the traditional clothing of countries she has visited and had those photos published widely.” 

Photo of Obama in African garb emerges as Clinton renews attacks - International Herald Tribune

What Barack Would Have Done with More Leadership Experience

If Barack was more of a leader, he would have included that photo on his own website from day one.  He could have held it up as an excellent example of how he as a leader could go out to the world and heal wounds like in Somalia a land that has been severely troubled for a long time and a land that the Clinton Administration could not repair as they entered into a quagmire of their own back in 1993.

I was part of that military campaign.

Instead, Barack Obama seems to have tried to play the ‘I’m Not a Muslim Card’.  That is a trap in and of itself.  Like George Bush before him, Obama seems to think that the religion of a President is important.  He thinks that being a Christian is a prerequisite to be President.  He thinks that the taint of another religion outside of Christianity, would hamper his efforts to become the new POTUS.

What does it say about a person when they do not stand up for the good things that they have done?

Instead of showing some leadership by defending his accidental leadership in Somalia, Barack Obama has tried to rely on the crutch of do not attack me for the way I dress or the company I keep.  He could have taken the high road and probably picked up a couple points in Ohio and more importantly showed the country and the world how a real US leader could act, but apparently Barack Obama did not recognize good leadership qualities even when he was the person exhibiting them.  If he cannot figure out what good leadership is, then maybe he would not make a good Presidential leader.  I’m not saying he is devoid of leadership potential and that he should go become a shop steward some where manufacturing cabinet knobs in Illinois, but he might need a little ‘Testing‘ of his leadership so that he will be able to recognize important leadership qualities and what they can really achieve without having to be told by a campaign manager, David Plouffe.

David Plouffe on the release of the photo of Barack Obama featured above

“On the very day that Senator Clinton is giving a speech about restoring respect for America in the world, her campaign has engaged in the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering we’ve seen from either party in this election. This is part of a disturbing pattern that led her county chairs to resign in Iowa, her campaign chairman to resign in New Hampshire, and it’s exactly the kind of divisive politics that turns away Americans of all parties and diminishes respect for America in the world.”

Maybe Mr. Plouffe needs to take a refresher course on diversity, diplomacy, and leadership.

Update - This Story is blowing up even more

OK, so it is a slow news day and the presidential candidates are fighting over clothing and pictures of themselves wearing clothing.  They would rather fight about anything besides the issues since they are basically the same poor candidate.

Here’s the latest, now Hillary is being attacked  . . . . for looking Presidential too.

She went out to visit and tour the world, and happened to put on a head scarf.  Scandalous.

Image from the Bill Clinton Presidential Library

Then there is Bill dressed up like Obi Wan Kenobi

Since I originally published the article above there are now almost 500 articles online about this topic.  Here are some of the most recent people to jump on the band wagon.