(….and I approve of this mess. Um….uh….. I mean, I approve of these friends……..that is, until they become political liabilities)

Barack Obama inspires me.

When writing my book Censorship: The Threat To Silence Talk Radio, I included one of the Obama campaign’s most hypocritical moments.  After reading this, you’ll have no question why the “Teleprompter of the United States” needs one.  John McCain was no challenge in the debates but Obama avoided this confrontation. An excerpt from my book which Simon & Schuster will publish May 5th:

In late August, 2008, Obama supporters unleashed their venom on Chicago’s WGN radio for allowing a critic of Barack to come on the air.  The station had scheduled an interview with Stanley Kurtz, author of an article that linked Obama to 60’s radical William Ayers.  (Ayers – now a professor in the College of Education at University of Illinois – was co-founder of a radical left-wing organization called the Weather Underground that was responsible for bombings of public buildings in the 60’s and 70’s, resulting in injuries to and deaths of several people.) 

Obama supporters were incensed that the radio station would interview someone whom they accused of being a “hatchet man”, spreading what they considered to be lies and distortions about their chosen candidate.  Their intent was clear and to the point.  They wanted to intimidate WGN and force management to reverse its decision to put Kurtz on the air.  They urged their supporters to send intimidating e-mails and make phone calls to WGN radio to complain; the station was deluged with calls and e-mails.

This controversy developed into a major story not only in Chicago, on Obama’s home turf, but all across the country.  It was yet another frontal assault on free speech.  According to my long-time friend, former WGN Program Director Bob Shomper – who now programs WLS in Chicago – the controversy developed as a result of trying to give Obama’s campaign the opportunity to come on the radio show with Kurtz.  How ironic!  In other words, the station offered to fairly balance the show, but Obama supporters declined that offer and continued their intimidating tactics to try to prevent the interview from being aired.  Shomper said, “Instead, they e-blasted their national database to clog our call-in lines.”  Rather than choosing to debate the issues, the campaign resorted to intimidation.

Footnote:  Because the mainstream media endorsed and worshipped Obama, few of them will now leave the alter.  For their own sake, they need him to succeed.  Otherwise, they run the risk of a total credibility meltdown.  Journalism is dead in America.  That’s a topic for another day.  Thank you.

Candidate Obama chose to allow Tony Rezko, now an indicted felon, to loan Obama $300,000 to help him buy his big home. The press and Democrat voters thought John McCain’s seven homes – bought without the hint of a graft – was a more important story.

Citizen and candidate Obama chose to remain in the church of Reverend Wright’s, whose diatribes against America are now famous. But, the media and Democrats thought it was more important to demonize President Bush who kept America safe from terror attacks for 7 ½ years.

Senator Obama voted against the Surge. In light of the Surge’s obvious success, did the media call candidate Obama’s judgement into question? No.

So, why is anyone surprised that a number of Obama’s choices for high level governmental posts are ethically-challenged, like Tom Daschle, Tim Geithner, Nancy Killefer and Bill Richardson?

Caught up in their bloodlust for President Bush, Democrats chose to deny the reality of who Mr. Obama truly was: A stunningly inexperienced Chicago-bred politician who had made poor choices, in his associations and judgements.

In politics as in life, you get what you pay for.

I was not surprised or depressed to see the people that supported Obama celebrating in Chicago on election night. Their party was out of power for eight long years and they deserve to celebrate their return to political relevance. I was not unhappy at all to see black people in America celebrate Obama’s electoral accomplishment. I have believed for many years now that Dr. King’s dream of overcoming was a reality for all people in this country but if it took a man of color to ascend to our nation’s highest office to prove it to black people, I celebrate their happiness. If Obama’s election means an end to racial strife and an end to people longing for equality in our country, then I celebrate that too.

But I do despair.

I despair the reality that Bill Ayers and Jeremiah Wright have celebrated Obama’s victory. I despair that the foolish ideas of 1960’s radical agitating hippies were not vanquished twenty years ago. I despair that the foolish ideas these people espouse have infiltrated our educational system at all levels and our popular culture in a way that seems like these ideas will be with us in perpetuity.

I despair that Americans, concerned with the economy above all issues, chose socialist solutions to address their fiscal concerns.

I despair that a man who does not understand that a confrontational stance must be taken on foreign policy issues to show our enemies how strong we are will lead the free world during this time of war.

I despair because we have a wonderful life in America and if God forbid a nuclear device were to detonate in one of our cities, the human suffering would be immeasurable. I do not trust that a President Obama would confront an enemy that either threatens us with or undertakes such an act with appropriate military reprisal. Would such an enemy be dealt with as swiftly and as brutally as they would need to be? Major acts of terrorism are military attacks not law enforcement issues, and our retribution for such attacks must be merciless against those who perpetrate them. I worry that Mr. Obama has too much mercy for our enemies.

My deepest despair though, is not for us. We have lived lives savoring the sweet fruit of freedom. My deepest despair is for those peoples who have lived and continue to live under brutal oppression in horrible places in the world without hope for change.

I despair seeing Hugo Chavez celebrating Obama’s victory and believe that his socialist revolution is growing. I despair for all who are forced to live in abject poverty because of Chavez’s foolish ideas of wealth redistribution that now dominate Venezuela by his decree.

I despair for the people of Cuba who are still longing for economic and social freedom to end decades of starvation and oppression. Due to Obama’s victory, they will see the Castro brothers gloating over what they probably perceive as an American ratification of Cuba’s backward Marxist philosophies.

I despair for the people living in the Stalinist prison camp that is North Korea who can look forward to more misery, cold, hunger, torture and darkness because Obama may be willing to ‘sit down and talk’ to their ‘Dear Leader’ face to face.

I despair for the young people in Iran, longing for liberalization through government overthrow, who are going to see Ahmadinajad further legitimized by the West and will see the Islamic regime further tighten its vise-like grip on their country.

I despair for Israelis who are now going to be living in the shadow of a potentially nuclear armed Iran.

I despair for all the Iraqi’s, after having the courage to participate in fledgling democracy, being slaughtered by a new tyranny that may fill the vacuum left by a potentially precipitous American withdrawal.

But I despair most for Kenya, the land of Barack Obama’s father. Until recently Kenya has been one of the safest and most prosperous African nations. I despair for the worsening religious and tribal strife there. I shed tears thinking about the coming Islamic law that Barack Obama has not only failed to speak against in Kenya while visiting as a senator, but through his support for his tribal relative, the tyrannical prime minister Raila Odinga, is actually encouraging.

I despair for the women of Kenya who will soon learn the smothering discomfort and humiliation of the Burkha in the heat of the sub-Saharan African sun.

I despair for the young girls of Kenya who will be learning the painful agony and terror of being forcibly raped by the adult husbands they meet after family arranged marriages.

I despair for all the female human beings of Kenya who will suffer the tearing pain of genital mutilation, the asphyxiation of being buried alive and the searing agony of being burned alive all in the name of Islamic honor.

I despair for all of the men and women of Kenya who will feel the impact of being stoned to death or feel the cutting and hacking of having limbs amputated as punishment for petty crimes like theft and blasphemy. These are the punishments for such crimes in Islamic countries.

I despair for the tribal discord that the non-Islamic people of Kenya will suffer having to make the choice to die, convert to Islam or live in virtual slavery as second class citizens in their native land and pay the tax of Dhimmitude. I despair for the peaceful and loving Christians of Kenya seeing their churches razed and having to practice their devotion to their savior Christ in secret.

I celebrate the black people in America who are today filled with jubilation at the prospect of their bright future but for the future of the many black people of Kenya who are going to be suffering horribly soon, I despair.

I despair because of President Barack Obama’s potential future inaction to help the people of Kenya overcome the horrible oppression of Islamic law. The fact that Kenya is the land of Obama’s paternal ancestors is a tragic irony.

Barack Obama spoke in his Chicago victory speech of America as the beacon for all people of the world and that this beacon still shines brightly. Mr. President-elect Obama, if these tyrants that rule these lands are celebrating your victory because they feel safe with you in office, the beacon of hope that America is known for will not shine at all.

Mr. Obama, until you prove that you have the courage to stand up to evil by using American military might unilaterally with moral righteousness and moral indignation motivating your actions, I will despair.

Mr. Obama, I beg you to please prove the despair I feel unfounded by being a strong, responsible, just and reliable leader of the United States of America. The greatest nation the world will ever know because of our ability to confront tyranny, liberate the suffering people of the world and provide a safe haven for the downtrodden to live in freedom and pursue happiness, the rarest of worldly luxuries.