[Jim Moonan]

John W: And you'd prefer someone who does this to the language?

Self-interest is a poor man's lense for viewing the world, IMO.

[Douglas G. Brown]

Originally Posted by Jim Moonan

Self-interest is a poor man's lense for viewing the world, IMO.

Mr. Obama will be getting $400,000.00 for giving a few speeches to
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. , a major international bond trader. Obama's economic policies were in the self interests of Cantor Fitzgerald &Co..

I hope, for this money, Mr. Obama actually writes the speeches himself.

$400,000.00 is in the self interest of Mr. Obama. He may have been a poor man once. Now, he has said goodbye to all of that.

America has been very, very good to Mr. Obama.

[Jim Moonan]

Douglas, Point taken -- though he and his family sacrificed much to arrive at this point in his life. I'm not wanting to fictionalize him. Simply to give him credit where it is long overdue.

[Roger Slater]

Don't forget that he was not writing for publication. This was a letter he wrote in private to a friend. Why shouldn't friends have opinions and discuss them? I don't think you have to approve of his politics to see that we are dealing here with a substantial person with a strong mind. And these days, of course, the implicit comparison is with his successor.

[Jim Moonan]

Yes Roger that's exactly the point.

[David Callin]

Originally Posted by John Whitworth

I'm glad Obama is not our Prime Minister. He does not like the English.

Tch. And him half-Kenyan too. Unfathomable, isn't it? Although, to be fair, he should throw the Scottish into the same unfavourable scale.

[Andrew Mandelbaum]

Eh...nevermind.
Waste of words.

[John Whitworth]

According to Obama's half-brother, Obama senior beat his wife and was a serial adulterer who was a drunk and made things up. We have no reason to believe the British harmed him in any way.

[Michael Cantor]

John, what in hell does the behavior of Obama's father - whether or not that is true - have anything to do with what we're discussing. Why is it that, on thread after thread, you will sooner or later remind me of Donald Trump? You're an infinitely better poet. Trump has - or has purchased - much better hair. But once you move away from those two areas of personal strength, there are so many resemblances.....

[Douglas G. Brown]

Michael;

The topic here is the writings of Obama. He wrote (or, claimed to write) an autobiography called "Dreams From my Father". It was, among other things, an account of his pilgrimage to Kenya to discover what kind of man his father was. Obama was more or less disappointed with what he found.

Obama published this book. It sold in large numbers, and netted him substantial royalties. It became an integral part of his campaign which put him in the White House.

If a man or woman with political aspirations publishes an autobiography, its entire content becomes part of the public record (even the parts about smoking pot and eating dog meat). He or she controls what goes and does not go in his or her own book.

I don't think John is out of line in his remarks on Obama's father.

Bill Clinton had a pretty miserable father. So did Ronald Reagan. So did Abe Lincoln. All four of them managed to rise above it.