"The Causes of My Life"

By Mike Dorning and Rick Pearson | Tribune staff reporters

• 8:50 PM CDT, September 3, 2007
• MANCHESTER, N.H. - Barack Obama spoke of "hope and change" on Monday, kicking off his fall campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination at a rally where he told voters that those words are not just rhetoric but rather "the causes of my life."

Hope and change. The causes of his life!! Wow. That is heavy duty. While it is difficult to quantify Obama’s brand of “hope,” there are some solid examples of Obama change:

* The kind of change that had Obama voting with Bill Frist and the Bush Administration to allow intervention into the Terri Schiavo matter,

* the kind of change that had Obama voting to confirm Condolezza Rice and General Casey while voting against an early bill by Feingold to try and reel in Iraq,

*  the kind of change that had Obama showed voting with the financial industry and the Bush Administration against a 30% cap on credit card interest rates,

* the kind of change that had Obama NOT VOTING when the bill to allow reimportation of drugs from Canada was called (And this is not the first time. Obama was “on vacation” when an important bill on reproductive issues which he had supported, and had promised his vote on, was called. Obama has a way of disappearing when you have to put up or shut up.),

* the kind of change that had Obama taking $10,000 from a major Republican backer of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, really dirty $$$$$$$ that Obama has not returned,

* the kind of change that had Obama taking over $100,000 via defense contractor General Dynamics,

* the kind of change that had Obama taking thousands over his entire political career from sleazy Chicago politico and slum lord Tony Rezko and buying a piece of land in a shady deal with Rezko’s wife,

* the kind of change that had  Obama supporting the expansion of the coal industry which world wide constitutes about 85% of global warming,

* the kind of change that had Obama supporting ethanol, the production of which creates significant pollution, drives up crop prices, detracts from food sourcing and does little to extend a gallon of fuel while voting against increased drilling in the Gulf of Mexico which not only would have helped Katrina stricken areas but helped reduce dependency on foreign oil.

* the kind of change that had Obama developing a universal health care plan that subsidizes the auto industry (with even the big guy at GM saying the plan was wrong) but leaves million of Americans out,

* the kind of change that had Obama failing to do his job as a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee while Building 18 festered,

* the kind of change that had Obama saying he does not take money from lobbyists or federal PACS when this is just sleight of hand as he takes money funneled from lobbyists and federal PACS via networks and spouses and employees,

* the kind of change that had Obama stuffing his top Senate staff with Daschle Washington Insiders while he claims to be outside the beltway,

etc., etc., etc.

ASK OBAMA IF THIS IS THE KIND OF CHANGE THAT IS “THE CAUSE OF HIS LIFE.”