Obama Nation

Re "Rebuttal issued to anti-Obama book," Aug. 15 Barack Obama states that "The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality" by Jerome Corsi is a compilation of innuendoes and false rumors about him. The book charges that Obama attended a radical black church and secretly harbors "black rage"; his response is that he is a Christian who attended Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. What kind of a rebuttal is that? Trinity United Church, whose pastor was the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., a hate-filled man who in some sermons was anti-American as well as anti-white?

DENVER -- Rallying Republicans hours before this year's first presidential debate, Sen. Marco Rubio on Wednesday highlighted Vice President Joe Biden's statement that the middle class has been "buried" to argue that the nation has suffered under President Obama and needs new leadership in November. "Over the last four years, the American middle class has been buried," the Florida lawmakers said, and the crowd gathered in a rodeo complex roared. "Everyone says, 'Oh, you're a partisan Republican for saying that.' No, no, those aren't my words.

An offhand remark Sen. John McCain made to reporters Friday morning is adding kindling to the controversy over an inflammatory new book about Sen. Barack Obama. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee was asked by a reporter if he had a response to the best-selling "Obama Nation" by Jerome Corsi, which repeats discredited allegations about Obama and portrays him as a stealth radical with extensive Muslim ties.

Even as he takes a series of executive actions to juice the economy, President Obama said Wednesday that he alone can't solve the unemployment crisis and he needs Congress to spend money on major new programs to dent the jobless rate. In recent weeks, Obama has been trying to bypass Congress, using his own executive authority to reduce student loan payments, help struggling homeowners refinance their loans and ease the shortage in prescription drugs. He has been acting under a new battle cry: "We can't wait.

The American author of a controversial book attacking Barack Obama was detained Tuesday by the other Obama nation. Jerome Corsi, author of "The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality," was picked up by Kenyan authorities shortly before he planned to hold a news conference to promote his book, which has widely been denounced in the U.S. for repeating discredited rumors about the Democratic presidential nominee's background and upbringing.

The fact that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson's famous friendship recovered from the acrimonious presidential campaigns of 1796 and 1800 is a monument to 18th century detachment and the mysterious power of genuine human fellowship. From those first two contested general elections to the current presidential campaign, American politics have been a blood sport, and what we now call "negative advertising" always has been a weapon of choice.

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores. -- Fiction weeks on list 1. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Little, 4 Brown: $22.99) The final book in the Twilight saga finds Bella choosing immortality as a vampire. 2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie 4 Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (Dial Press: $22) A writer's correspondence with an island's inhabitants in the aftermath of German occupation. 3. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: 7 $19.99)

John McCain aggressively challenged Barack Obama's readiness to be president and understanding of military affairs Monday, telling a national veterans convention that the gains of America's troops in Iraq would be at risk if the Democratic candidate became president. In a toughly worded speech to the annual gathering of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, McCain portrayed Obama as a naif motivated by ambition. "The hard-won gains of our troops hang in the balance" as the country weighs its choice for president, McCain said, criticizing Obama's plan to withdraw troops from Iraq within 16 months.

The scene: A vast crowd at a political rally raises a tumult of adulation. Triumphal music rises. Graphics of President Obama's image slide across the scene as we hear the now-familiar voice say, "Change has come to America. . . . Our moment is now. . . . Yes we can!" The crowd chants. Slow pullback on the image of the White House. Announcer: "To commemorate the inauguration of our 44th president with a well-known American icon, introducing. . . ." Jingle: Chi-chi-chi Chia! Announcer: "Chia Obama!"

When Barack Obama arrived at the White House, he quickly acted on the foreign policy promises he'd made in his presidential campaign, drawing up a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq, seeking diplomatic "engagement" with adversaries such as Iran and North Korea, and trying to "reset" the contentious U.S. relationship with Russia. But until last month, he hadn't laid out his broader approach to the world beyond our borders. Now he has, in the recently released National Security Strategy, a lengthy essay required by Congress.

The White House took a preemptive step to defuse an emerging controversy Sunday, sending out a top aide to reassure American Muslims that the U.S. government doesn't see them as a collective threat. Denis McDonough, deputy national security advisor to President Obama, addressed a largely Muslim audience days before congressional hearings into homegrown Islamic terrorism. The hearings, which sparked protests in New York on Sunday, will be led by Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.

In the latest White House staff shakeup, President Obama announced Friday that Gen. James L. Jones was stepping down as national security advisor at the end of the month and will be replaced by his deputy, Tom Donilon. The change at the top of the National Security Council comes as Obama presides over an escalation of the war in Afghanistan and peace negotiations in the Middle East. By July, the administration is expected to decide how quickly to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, and Donilon has stressed internally the importance of meeting the deadline.

When Barack Obama arrived at the White House, he quickly acted on the foreign policy promises he'd made in his presidential campaign, drawing up a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq, seeking diplomatic "engagement" with adversaries such as Iran and North Korea, and trying to "reset" the contentious U.S. relationship with Russia. But until last month, he hadn't laid out his broader approach to the world beyond our borders. Now he has, in the recently released National Security Strategy, a lengthy essay required by Congress.

As BP launches another attempt to stop the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, President Obama said Tuesday he was moving ahead with a formal inquiry aimed at preventing another environmental disaster. Obama, speaking in the Rose Garden, said he will soon make a handful of appointments to a special commission examining the cause of the oil spill that he has called "the greatest environmental disaster of its kind in our history."' Obama appeared with the co-chairmen of the new commission, former Democratic Sen. Bob Graham of Florida and William K. Reilly, who headed the Environmental Protection Agency under the Republican administration of former President George H.W. Bush.

The scene: A vast crowd at a political rally raises a tumult of adulation. Triumphal music rises. Graphics of President Obama's image slide across the scene as we hear the now-familiar voice say, "Change has come to America. . . . Our moment is now. . . . Yes we can!" The crowd chants. Slow pullback on the image of the White House. Announcer: "To commemorate the inauguration of our 44th president with a well-known American icon, introducing. . . ." Jingle: Chi-chi-chi Chia! Announcer: "Chia Obama!"

President Obama, who barely knew his own father, devoted his afternoon Friday to promoting the importance of being a good dad, saying he wanted to start a "national conversation" on the subject. Two days before Father's Day, Obama attended events related to fatherhood -- gathering famous and not-so-famous dads for a series of service projects around Washington and a White House town hall meeting, then addressing young men on the South Lawn.

President Obama, who barely knew his own father, devoted his afternoon Friday to promoting the importance of being a good dad, saying he wanted to start a "national conversation" on the subject. Two days before Father's Day, Obama attended events related to fatherhood -- gathering famous and not-so-famous dads for a series of service projects around Washington and a White House town hall meeting, then addressing young men on the South Lawn.

When President-elect Barack Obama introduced James L. Jones Jr. as his national security advisor Monday, he emphasized the retired Marine general's understanding of "the connection between energy and national security." Obama sees that as a plus, but some environmental groups and global warming activists view Jones' environmental record with suspicion. Jones will not be responsible for environmental policy, but he has said energy is a vital national security issue.

The American author of a controversial book attacking Barack Obama was detained Tuesday by the other Obama nation. Jerome Corsi, author of "The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality," was picked up by Kenyan authorities shortly before he planned to hold a news conference to promote his book, which has widely been denounced in the U.S. for repeating discredited rumors about the Democratic presidential nominee's background and upbringing.