Thursday, July 31, 2008

Media-Whore D'Oevres



"As the United Nations Security Council prepares today to vote on renewing the mandate for peacekeeping troops in Darfur, the Save Darfur Coalition issued a report titled 'Grounded: the International Community's Betrayal of UNAMID.' According to the United Nations over 300,000 Darfurians have died and more than 2.2 million have been displaced since February 2003. Thomas Withington, an aviation expert who wrote the report and is acutely aware of the advantage of helicopters judiciously employed in the theatre to stave off genocide, came to the conclusion .." (Ron Mwangaguhunga/AWEARNESS)

"Political strategists are fascinated by this McCain ploy. Here is one of history’s most uncharismatic candidates attempting to capitalize on his blandness by stressing the celebrity of his rival." (Peter Bart/Variety)

"Given the historic presence of the nation's first major-party African-American presidential nominee, it was likely inevitable. But now the combustible issue of Barack Obama's racial identity has been thrust squarely into the heated political battle of the 2008 race. Obama Wednesday warned voters that John McCain or his allies would try to 'scare' them with his race, and McCain campaign manager Rick Davis responded furiously on Thursday, accusing Obama of playing the race card. Behind the accusations from both sides in the last 24 hours lies a furious battle to frame the racially charged conflict many in both campaigns have been girding for and to find effective ways to blame the other campaign for any unpalatable racial subtext to a race that — in theory — could actually show the better angels of America’s nature." (Politico)

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