I just watched President Obama's speech in Cairo, Egypt...

I am an open Agnostic/Atheist...And that speech moved me! I know there are many here on DU that want to replace Obama in 2012 because he has not done everything you want on every issue...PLEASE do not deny this fact! I see everyday the anger and the calls to replace President Obama in 2012. These post are the most popular post on DU. When is the last time a post that supports our President has made the front page? Maybe I have missed it?

No human being is perfect! If "perfect" is what you strive for in a leader then you need a mythical god not human leader! All I can say is I will fight against those people who seek to replace Obama in 2012 with all that I have! Whether these people are coming from the right or the left! The same fight that I gave to support Obama in the first place. Call me what you want but I see a leader like no other that can actually change this country and the world if given the time!

Call me a Kool-Aid drinker and blind supporter...The idea of shame will not work. These are tactics the Right has used on us and it did not work! I know what I see and I know what has already happened in 5 short months. And until I see otherwise I will trust President Obama to do what he thinks is correct. That is why I voted for him and that is why I will continue to support him.

This is simply how I feel and I am curious to see how many on DU agree...I know there are issues that I want Obama to address or take a different stance on. We must continue to apply pressure as it is our duty as Americans! However, I know the political mine field within he has to operate. It is deadly and will destroy political leaders in one step if one is not careful! We have all seen bright promising leaders go down for things they supported. President Obama has gift of working these explosive issues in ways that others have not. I think many of these issues will be addressed in time. I trust President Obama and I will continue to support him and trust he knows better than us how to navigate the American Political System. The man obviously knows what he is doing...Think about what he has already done. PLEASE!

I know my writing has much for improvement but this is my feelings expressed the best way I know how.

why not keep an open mind and try to objectively evaluate his performance as we get deeper into the 4-years.

To blindly follow this early is as silly as to blindly call him a failure.

to fulfill your wishes. I agree! I've seen some ignorant comments from some DU members who, in my mind, are Monday morning quarterbacks who couldn't run their own household, let alone the country.

Give Obama room. He probably has one of the most messed up situations to deal with of any president in history. Bush at least did a thorough job of screwing up this country...which follows his modus operandi. I can't imagine what those who are upset were expecting, that Obama wave a magic wand and everything is fixed? That shows their ignorance.

I'm with you! Obama may not do everything right, but he's darned well working and making that White House hum again.

and with President Obama.

I respect your opinion, however. Please respect mine.


Edited to add: I think Pres. Obama's speech was great too.

That is what makes us Americans...I just think calling for a replacement in 2012 is absurd!

I do disagree with Obama as I said but there is something special about him that no other politician in America has displayed...If I am missing something please tell me.

to have left a lot of people wallowing in their ptsd. Like you said, no one is perfect and I can't even imagine what Obama has to deal with in cleaning up the Right's larger than (real) life mess. I'd much rather be slightly miffed or disappointed in some of the things he's done than trying to survive a mccain/palin holocaust.

Giving this thread a big R!

he has mentioned us before but not today.

In this case, it is the Muslim world. I think that is why.

I don't need to be called out every time someone makes a speech.

However, considering the venue I can see why! LOL!

But I think one of the focuses of yesterday's speech was that audience, and that area - where the world's three main monotheistic religions meet - often in conflict. He was accentuating the similarities between people, instead of the differences. At a point like that, sometimes highlighting variety serves only to diffuse the focus. And focus was very important in that speech - heck, everything was important.

I think he succeeded brilliantly. And I don't think atheists have a thing to fear from him on that count. He gets it.

As an Agnostic/Atheist I have never felt closer to a President than now. Regardless of his claims to faith he seems to view the world much like I do in terms of women's privacy, science, and responsible medical research...Bush & the Republican Party seriously bothered me on so many levels!!


Oh yeah, I have wondered after reading his books if Obama was a secret Agnostic/Atheist?

You are right I do not worry about Obama using religion to divide people...Including us evil wicked godless heathens!! LOL!

understand or welcome the input of nonbelievers.

In fact, the idea that the only acceptable person never mentions his or her faith seems to me as silly as the leader who insists that everyone believe as he does.

We are a pluralistic nation, full of a huge variety of people, who have a huge variety of beliefs. So long as all are respectful, that is a big advantage to us, I think.

I appreciate the honest way he approaches his own belief, AND the way he shows that he understands those beliefs are not, by default, now US beliefs.

When people from different backgrounds, cultures and religions can reach a point where they are comfortable and respect others who are different there is much to be gained!

This is why the religious right in this country aggravate me...They want and think Americans should follow lock step behind their ideas, faith and world view or you are not an American.

They simply miss what it is to be American. IMHO.

is that without the liberal Christians, the nonbelievers, the Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, etc., they'd be fighting tooth and nail with each other over increasingly minute aspects of theology. They're only united by what they see as a common enemy. Pluralism in that way assists them in their self-righteousness.

However, I think that self-imposed isolation will also be their eventual undoing. They'll once more retreat to the fringes and the rest of us will move on.

I feel he showed great respect to Islam, and therefore to the people who live in Islamic countries--which, I think, was the point. His pragmatic approach is a welcome breath of fresh air after 8 years of idiocy.

Although I don't agree with all his policies (and never have), I support President Obama and the change he represents.

Was the responses I saw on some of the AP film bytes on YouTube...There were Muslims showing true emotion watching his speech, and it was not the emotion we saw them show toward Bush! They were not throwing shoes!!!

(and many who are most in the news haven't earned it, for sure).

But as a people, too often, especially under Bush, Muslims have been pushed off to the side, at best tolerated, but rarely respected. And historically there's a great deal to respect.

I think ANY move toward peace in the area - and by area I mean a great stretch of territory encompassed by the majority-Islamic world, not just the Arab world - has to start with that show of respect. We simply will get nowhere talking down to people. We have to come with outstretched hand, ready to speak as respectfully as possible. Obama did a great job, I think, doing that.

He also made it quite clear that our friends would be the ones who sought peace.

saying something right. Clerics pull alot of weight in those countries.

that could have even approached the topic or the mission.

His personal world view is right for the moment and for young people and adults of good will.

Young people who do not have the baggage of voting for Kerry, knowing he won and getting Bush are more open minded and they think our ways are out of touch.

Some Democrats still feel "abused" from the Bush years and they can't move on. They can't trust anyone.

I don't feel that way.

This is a New Day and he has done more for our country in less than 200 days than I can recall from a President that was left with the mess that he was - I'm 66 so I've seen a lot of Presidents come and go.

Our new President is not perfect, none of the others have been, including Democrats.

If he does something that I feel is unfair, I know how to voice my feelings.

But he can not be our special Howdy Doody. He can not please each of us everyday - no way!

Bravo to our President!
:patriot:

I have not seen the Presidents you have but I do follow American politics and I could not think of anyone who could have delivered what Obama delivered today! What he has been delivering the past two years to be honest!

I have been hurt by some of the decisions Obama has made, or lack of decision, but I also know the mine field in which he has made them...Bush left Obama with problems that regardless of how he decides to deal with them large groups of people are going to be angry. Plus, I think some decisions he is putting off in order for the political climate to be right. I know this angers people but being pragmatic could be the difference between getting something done or dying a political death trying.

I know one thing I am so glad to be alive right now watching this part of history unfold!

Time will tell us just how big of an historical impact President Obama will have on America & the world...I like what I see so far!

And I do not fault anything Obama said.

The end justify the means.

He is the best we have for the enormous task at hand.

And if it didn't catalogue all of America's sins, that was not the place or time. It was listened to by millions of people who don't usually listen to anything American's have to say.

They would rather expend energy and money on perpetuating the lie (insert topic here) than actually fixing or solving anything.

The Truth shall set America Free!!

I believe more of the truth will continue to come out against the last admin and it will be devastating.

Pres. Obama 8 years to fix it. Some things I wish he would address, but I can wait. Some things I just plain don't agree with, I can cope. So far he's got my vote in 2012 (unless he starts beating Bo, then I draw the line).

I was cleaning up puppy poop this AM...It stunk! President Obama is cleaning up tons of Bush Poop and at least 3 decades of Conservative Valued Poop...Cleaning it up smells really bad but I think in the long run America will be cleaner & and smell much better than it does now.

I have never read a single post that suggested replacing Obama. What I have read though is concern he is not Liberal enough and not living up to many of his campaign promises. Obama asked the people to hold him accountable and to hold his feet to the fire and people here have taken him at his word. Apparently you disagree with him on that point.

who you going to vote for that is better than Obama in 2012? The guy has been as close to a miracle worker as can be expected from an American politician..

Im with you...I proud of my President

great speech

It is nice to get a warm welcome!!!

I am not totally happy with everything he has done so far, but for the most part I am enjoying having someone in charge who I can trust to do most things the way I would like them done.

When I get annoyed with him I remember back to the first year of Clinton's presidency. He sucked! But he warmed up and did a pretty good job. So far Obama is much better than Clinton in his early months. To me that bodes well for our next 8 years.

Obama could be one of the great ones.

PB

Your writing is perfect. Don't you worry one bit about your writing. Your feelings have come through loud and clear and I agree with you.

All I can say is I will fight against those people who seek to replace Obama in 2012 with all that I have! Whether these people are coming from the right or the left! The same fight that I gave to support Obama in the first place.

If he keeps going the way that he's going now (and I have no reason to suspect otherwise) I'll be right there with you brother, in 2012.

I really appreciate the kind words! I know President Obama is not perfect and I know he will not always do exactly what I want when I want it...But what I have noticed is he has a method of getting things done! I think in this extremely fast moving political climate we find ourselves in right now many have forgot what Obama has accomplished before even taking the oath! Trying not to sound like a blind follower but when one sits back and looks at what he has done, what he has Congress working on, and what his potential is on the world stage, who would not want to see what he does with it?

I will continue to write White House & my Congressional Reps on certain things I would love to see happen (Equal rights for GLTB, including the military) or dealt with (Truth Commission on Iraq and Torture) at the same time I understand American Politics and I know all to well if you do not pick your battles correctly the Republicans will use the power of fear and beat you over the head with it!

Can you believe Ted Olson & David Boies are teaming up to fight Prop 8? Remember Ted Olson (Bush) & David Boies (Gore) in Bush v Gore? Who could forget it, huh? Who would have thought? Well, there are many lawyers who actually respect the Constitution when it comes to basic fundamental rights like marriage. I was reading about this upcoming case and I also watched David Boies on Charlie Rose and I can't see how they will lose...There is no case law or anything in the US Constitution that says marriage is exclusive to one man one woman. However, there is tons of case law that says marriage is a fundamental right that can never be denied! This could be the end game for such bigoted hate based on nothing but Bronze Age Thinking.

Anyway, sorry about getting off subject but that was fresh on my mind and I am very hopeful!

Thanks again for being so nice!!

All of you should be proud.

and it was one of our finest hours!

It changed the world for the better.

they should go ahead on. but i defy all the naysayers to find anyone better. and i don't mean some leftier than thou like st dennis who barely got elected to his house seat. i mean someone who could build the kind of movement that obama has built. i mean someone with the kind of transformative power that this man has. someone who could stand up there and tell so much truth. who has the guts, the pure guts, it took to stand up there are shoot sacred cows.

go ahead on if you find one. we'll wait. you still have a couple years before you need to get on the campaign trail. i'd like to see someone better, if you could find one. if.....

I am going to buy a button or two right now!!!!

OMG! The "mrs schaivo- meat puppet" button is horrible! But very true!!! My wife was in a car wreck and had severe brain injuries and I was forced to learn a lot about them...It made me sick the way they kept playing that video of her watching the balloon! That is not a sign of cognitive ability. The autopsy proved her brain stem was jello. I seriously have mountains of problems with the religious right in this country and that whole incident made me sick! I felt so bad for her husband!!

My wife made a huge recovery but it took years! There was no possibility of recovery for that poor girl. SAD!

Back to button shopping!!!

lots of stuff there that is blissfully over. but a lot of stuff that will be with us probably for my lifetime. and then there is stuff that goes away and comes back. like the coathanger ones.
thanks for looking.

Thank-You!

very much appreciated.

Check it out and see.

Have you visited the other groups and forums?

I was seriously growing depressed as I visit everyday and up until Obama made that wonderful speech there had not been a positive post on the front board in long time. (When I say front board I mean the "Greatest Threads".) Not only that I saw many people calling to replace Obama in 2012 within those popular post. I know some people leave comments when angry I am very guilty of that. I know Obama has not addressed some issues I wish he would. However, when I weigh the totality of who President Obama is I can't help but see something historic in the making! I know he is already historic by default but I am talking historic due to talent, care for people, care for others views, and a brilliant politician! I think he has a very good idea when to fight what battles...Of course it is early but I do like what I see so far. I can't help the fact I am proud of my country again. YA!

I am not against being critical of any elected official as I understand that is what drives our Democracy! So, please do not think that of me. I can be very critical of Obama especially when it comes to the Seperation of Church & State, Equal Rights, and when he blew off the Marijuana question.

As far as visiting other groups and forums, I am beginning to wonder around more. I end up spending a lot of time in the breaking news section drinking my coffee. So, I can't say I have been doing much exploring other than what I have told you now.

He has the best quality that he or anyone who is our President can have and thats honesty.