Aren't there better things for politicians to be worried about?

[G01]

http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2007/12/hillary-as-kind.html

Seriously. Who in the Clinton campaign had the bright idea to call out Obama on his elementary school homework assignments! Is there really nothing else these people could have focused on?!

Here is the article the blog is discussing from the Clinton Website:

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=4479

 

[ShawnD]

The news release also noted that the Los Angeles Times has reported that Obama’s third 3rd-grade teacher recalls him writing “I Want To Be a President” in response to an assignment asking students to write an essay titled “My dream: What I want to be in the future.”

Cute.

 

[Moonbear]

If anything, it's going to help Obama's campaign. It's fun to think about all those kids who dreamed of becoming president someday and to see one who is working hard to make it happen.

That is pretty pathetic to dig into elementary school records. Haven't most of us written such an essay in grade school? Does that mean we've all been planning to become presidents, ballet dancers, or astronauts since then?

It also shows a rather poor lack of understanding of the English language on the part of Hillary's campaign, or the willful intent to twist words, to say that "thinking about" or "talking about" running is the same as "planning" to run. People can talk to their friends and say, yeah, someday I'd like to do that, without actually being focused on planning yet. Is she going to share with us his campaign strategy outlined in his third grade essay?

 

[ShawnD]

Is she going to share with us his campaign strategy outlined in his third grade essay?

Don't underestimate the power of ideas held by little kids. In kindergarten I once made a poster about apple flavored cigarettes, and last week I found out such a thing already exists, called hookah (that's the name of the device, but it's used for what I thought of when I was 5). Not exactly a cigarette, but it actually does taste like apples if you get the apple flavored stuff; tried it last friday to confirm that it was real .

For all we know, Obama actually did have a plan on how to win. It might not be detailed, but sometimes a general idea is all you need. Something like "peace in the middle east" might be a direct quote from his essay

 

[Moonbear]

Something like "peace in the middle east" might be a direct quote from his essay

If he was smart enough to be thinking about peace in the Middle East in third grade, instead of things like "everyone can have chocolate cake for breakfast," then even better for him!

 

[Beeza]

If he was smart enough to be thinking about peace in the Middle East in third grade, instead of things like "everyone can have chocolate cake for breakfast," then even better for him!

Chocolate cake for breakfast reminds me of one of Bill Cosby's stand-up comedy skits :)

 

[Chi Meson]

Chocolate cake for breakfast reminds me of one of Bill Cosby's stand-up comedy skits :)

"Dad is great!"

Back to OP: This really does sway me toward Obama and away from Hilary. (used to be ambivalent between the two). Every time I hear Obama talk he sounds like an intelligent guy.

 

[ShawnD]

From obama's wiki article:
"The family moved to Jakarta in 1967, where Obama attended local schools from ages 6 to 10.[15] He then returned to Honolulu to live with his maternal grandparents while attending Punahou School from 5th grade until his graduation in 1979."

Isn't Jakarta a mostly muslim area? It sounds almost possible that one kid would say "my daddy says israel is evil" and Obama would say "why can't they just be friends?"
Hopefully Hillary will keep us up to date on this.

 

[G01]

I can't vote for Obama now! It seems that the political views he held in his third grade essay were different that those he held now! Flip Flopper!

 

[Huckleberry]

I'll trust a third grade politician over a mature one any day. Now, if I could only tell the difference.