Obama Is Given a Code Name by the Secret Service

Sen. Barack Obama has a new tag: "Renegade."

That's what Secret Service agents are calling the Illinois Democrat, in the time-honored tradition of giving "secret" code names to presidential candidates and other protected dignitaries. As is custom, the Obama moniker reflects something of the man himself (though he might prefer "progressive" or "independent").

Why are they calling Obama a "Renegade"?

Merriam Webster defines renegade as

1) A deserter from one faith, cause, or allegiance to another
2) An individual who rejects lawful or conventional behavior

What faith has he deserted? What allegiances have been broken? Who has he turned his back on? And what laws has been broken? This sounds like a tactic to distract and cause confusion of the weak minded.

Obama Girl

This is too cute. Obama Girl can sing and dance. If you haven’t seen this, make sure you look at the YouTube video of I got a crush on Obama. Watch out Michelle, you just may have some competition lurking in the shadows.

Spielberg Gives Clinton Top Billing

Don't you just wonder what really happen to make Spielberg switch from supporting Obama to supporting Clinton.

LOS ANGELES — Steven Spielberg’s exploratory phase is over: He’s a Hillary Clinton man.

After a flirtation with Senator Barack Obama in February, and maxing out his contributions to both Mr. Obama and former Senator John Edwards, the famous filmmaker today threw his support formally behind Senator Clinton.

It’s the most significant indication yet that Hollywood luminaries are returning to what was expected to be their default position at the start of the campaign, before Mr. Obama suddenly grew white-hot.

Two interesting posts

I found these over at TPM

Poll: Hillary Least Electable Dem, Obama Most Electable

A new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll finds Hillary Clinton losing to the top three
Republicans — Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and even the lesser-known Mitt Romney. The other top Democrats all do better. John Edwards tops Romney and McCain, while losing out to Giuliani. Barack Obama is the most electable in this poll, beating Giuliani 46%-41% and doing even better against McCain and Romney. Approval of Congress is at 27%, its lowest level in a decade, down from 36% in January when Democrats took power.

Tribune: How Brand Obama Was Built

From his first days in the U.S. Senate, the Illinoisan has followed a strategy envisioning a White House bid. Obama and his advisors considered how he could establish himself with the limited power of a freshman Senator in the minority party, and they considered a possible run for governor in 2010, but not an attempt at the White House until 2012 or 2016. "My profile outstripped my power in the Senate," Obama said in a recent interview in his Capitol Hill office. "I was mindful of the importance of establishing good relationships with my colleagues early on, and making sure that people didn't think I bought into all the hype."

Here is some conflicting data about who is electable (Clinton or Obama): Clinton Owes Lead in Poll To Support From Women. The article states that it is less educated women who are big Clinton supporters. I guess this is a buzzword for minorities.

Obama seeks advice from Colin Powell

It is these types of antics that make me wonder about Obama. All of us are aware of the lies told by Powell leading up to the Iraqi war. I guess this is what happens when you are running for the President, if you are a Democrat, you must be in the middle, if you are a Republican, it is ok to be right of the center. One has to wonder about the logic of the Democrats.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has sought and received foreign policy advice from former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Barack Obama's 2006 Tax Return

Commentaries on his returns from the Associated Press and the Chicago Tribune.

Although his income decreased significantly, the amount of monies earned is still impressive for the Junior Senator of Illinois.

Barack's Blues: Will "Blessing" Boomerang into a Smear?

Seems every week in Obama's presidential campaign there's something new and potentially damaging and distracting: From "magical Negro" to Saviour.

David Cordero, an artist and student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (and apparent Obama supporter) unveiled his life-sized exhibit called "Blessing" depicting Barack Obama cloaked in white and red robes with a blue neon halo--Jesus Christ as black. Interestingly, Cordero's 'Barack-as-Christ' exhibit seems inspired by filmmaker, Kevin Smith's, "Buddy Christ" from his 1999 controversial movie, Dogma.


About Obama, Cordero said in an interview,

"He's sort of emerged as this really sort of charismatic and really popular person. I think that people really like him and I think it's because of his message of unity and sort of his political platform."

All well and good, but will another well-meaning effort of an Obama supporter boomerang into an unintended smear or become another means of keeping him on the defensive? The melding of politics and religion and the color of Christ is taking center stage right before Resurrection Sunday. People are asking: Is it art? Or is it blasphemy?

Bruce Jenkins, the dean of the Art Institute's undergraduate program, said the school has been flooded with calls regarding Cordero's sculpture, "some of them from angry people."

However, he said the sculpture has gotten mostly positive feedback.

AP quotes him as saying, "When you see it, when you spend time with it, you understand it's not a provocative work at all. It opens a set of questions."

The Obama camp has made it clear that the Illinois senator has nothing to do with the piece.

"While we respect First Amendment rights and don't think the artist was trying to be offensive, Senator Obama, as a rule, isn't a fan of art that offends religious sensibilities," Obama spokesman Jen Psaki said.

Will there be an outcry for the disexhibition of Cordero's "Blessing?" It happened before. Controversial art has a tradition at the School of the Art Institute.

About twenty years ago a graduating senior, David Nelson's painting, "Mirth & Girth" of the late African American Mayor of Chicago was so offensive that several alderman removed the painting exhibition and attempted to take it out of the building, but security stopped them. Amazingly, they then convinced police to "arrest" the painting and removed it from the building. A Judge ruled four years after the incident that three aldermen had violated Nelson's First Amendment rights, and as a result was entitled to receive damages.

While it is highly unlikely that anything that drastic will occurr to the "Blessing" exhibit, the religious right and neo-cons are singing praises. Why?

One blogger believes,

To a sophisticated viewer, it should be evident that the artist, David Cordero, was making a sarcastic comment about media attention and pseudo-religiosity in politics. The sculpture is clearly an indirect criticism of those journalists who assign, in Cordero's words, “all these inflated expectations.”