Let's just keep things real. That is all I am saying. NM

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Okay, let's have Mrs. Palin on the interview shows.  I want to see her interviewed by Bob Shieffer, Mat Lauer, Andrea Mitchell, George Stephanopoulous, Meet the Press, etc.  We saw that she can really deliver a written speech well.  I want to hear her personal views on foreign affairs and improving the economy. She has experience in Alaskan news, so I will expect a camera-ready, polished performance.

Let's say for the sake of argument that he is Muslim.  With this in mind, he would be going to a christian church, all the while faking having the christian belief.  So when Rev. Wright gets up and preaches, I can assume that since Obama is supposedly a Muslim and not a christian, that he would not believe what is being preached.  If Obama is not influenced by what is preached in this church, then what's the big deal about Rev Wright and the supposedly big impact he had on Obama? 

all plays out.  As for McCain being incontinent, I did not know that until you said so. That's a shame.

Seems like each time a president leaves office everyone "hems and haws" at the list of people they pardon (especially those who dislike whatever president is leaving office).  Every exiting president has had their list of people who should never have received pardons.  Some yes, like first time offenders, people arrested for mairjuana, or caught turning back odometers, etc). 

Maybe you should have also posted the list of people Clinton pardoned.  All you said was "he pardoned some nice ones too".  You make it sound  like GW is pardoning hardened criminal while BC only pardoned some people who did petty crimes.  Even though you didn't say that, by saying "he pardoned some nice ones too" it takes away from the seriousness of the people he did pardon.  But since you didn't post Clinton's pardons I will.  Now before anyone throws a fit because I know a lot of you think Clinton is the best thing since sliced bread, I'm just posting to show that he pardoned as many creeps as Bush is.  (BTW - I didn't, have never, and do not support Bush - can't stand the guy, but at let's try to keep it honest here).  Oh and my favorites are the money launderers, income tax evaders, bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the government, issuing worthless checks, bank fraud, etc - all those things that helped to start bringing our economy down).  Those and Roger Clinton, Marc Rich, and Susan McDougal,  I did notice how he pardoned a lot of people who lied, but then again that was Clinton's whole 8 years in office - one lie after another, so doesn't surprise me he pardoned people who lied under oath. 

You said something in regards to food stamps...look at #22 on Clintons list - Unauthorized use and transfer of food stamps.  I found an interesting article called "10 Heated Presidential Pardons" that goes back to George Washington.  I'll post the link.  All I'm saying here is that each president throughout our history has pardoned some pretty bad people that should not be pardoned.  GW is no different and no more worse than any of the previous.  Here's the article - an interesting read.

http://www.kitv.com/presidential-race/17578058/detail.html

Here's the list of Clinton's pardons

1. Verla Jean Allen (1990 false statements to an agency of the United States).^[4]
   
2. Nicholas M. Altiere (1983 importation of cocaine)
   
3. Bernice Ruth Altschul (1992 money laundering conspiracy)
   
4. Joe Anderson Jr. (1988 income tax evasion)
   
5. William Sterling Anderson (1987 defraudment of a financial institution, false statements to a financial institution, wire fraud)
   
6. Mansour Azizkhani (1984 false statements in bank loan applications)
   
7. Cleveland Victor Babin Jr. (1987 using the U.S. mail service to defraud)
   
8. Chris Harmon Bagley (1989 conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine)
   
9. Scott Lynn Bane (Unlawful distribution of marijuana)
   
10. Thomas Cleveland Barber (Issuing worthless checks)
    
11. Peggy Ann Bargon (Violation of the Lacey Act, violation of the Bald Eagle Protection Act)
    
12. David Roscoe Blampied (possess with intent to distribute cocaine)
    
13. William Arthur Borders Jr. (Conspiracy to corruptly solicit and accept money in return for influencing the official acts of a federal district court judge (Alcee L. Hastings), and to defraud the United States in connection with the performance of lawful government functions; corruptly influencing, obstructing, impeding and endeavoring to influence, obstruct and impede the due administration of justice, and aiding and abetting therein; traveling interstate with intent to commit bribery)
    
14. Arthur David Borel (Odometer Rollback)
    
15. Douglas Charles Borel (Odometer Rollback)
    
16. George Thomas Brabham (Making a false statement or report to a federally insured bank)
    
17. Almon Glenn Braswell (1983 mail fraud and perjury)
    
18. Leonard Browder (Illegal dispensing of controlled substance and Medicaid fraud)
    
19. David Steven Brown (Securities fraud and mail fraud)
    
20. Delores Caroylene Burleson, aka Delores Cox Burleson (Possession of Marijuana)
    
21. John H. Bustamante (wire fraud)
    
22. Mary Louise Campbell (Unauthorized use and transfer of food stamps)
    
23. Eloida Candelaria (False information in registering to vote)
    
24. Dennis Sobrevinas Capili (Filing false statements in alien registration)
    
25. Donna Denise Chambers (Intent to distribute cocaine)
    
26. Douglas Eugene Chapman (Bank fraud)
    
27. Ronald Keith Chapman (Bank fraud)
    
28. Francisco Larois Chavez (Aiding and abetting illegal entry of aliens)
    
29. Henry Cisneros (former HUD Secretary)
    
30. Roger Clinton, Jr. Cocaine charges(half-brother of President Bill Clinton)[3]
    
31. Stuart Harris Cohn (Illegal sale of commodity options)
    
32. David Marc Cooper (Conspiracy to defraud the government)
    
33. Ernest Harley Cox Jr. (Defraud of federally insured savings and loan)
    
34. John F. Cross Jr. (Embezzlement)
    
35. Rickey Lee Cunningham (Intent to distribute marijuana)
    
36. Richard Anthony DE Labio (Mail fraud)
    
37. John Deutch (former Director of Central Intelligence Agency)
    
38. Richard Douglas (False statements to a government agent)
    
39. Edward Reynolds Downe (Wire fraud, false income tax returns and securities fraud)
    
40. Marvin Dean Dudley (False statements)
    
41. Larry Lee Duncan
    
42. Galen R. Elmore (Convicted of cattle theft)
    
43. Robert Clinton Fain
    
44. Marcos Arcenio Fernandez
    
45. Alvarez Ferrouillet
    
46. Henry O. Flipper - guilty of "conduct unbecoming an officer" (1882)
    
47. William Dennis Fugazy
    
48. Lloyd Reid George
    
49. Louis Goldstein
    
50. Rubye Lee Gordon
    
51. Pincus Green
    
52. Robert Ivey Hamner
    
53. Samuel Price Handley
    
54. Woodie Randolph Handley
    
55. Jay Houston Harmon
    
56. Rick Hendrick
    
57. John Hummingson
    
58. David S. Herdlinger
    
59. Debi Rae Huckleberry
    
60. Warren C. Hultgren Jr.
    
61. Donald Ray James
    
62. Stanley Pruet Jobe
    
63. Ruben H. Johnson
    
64. Linda Jones
    
65. James Howard Lake
    
66. June Louise Lewis
    
67. Salim Bonnor Lewis
    
68. John Leighton Lodwick
    
69. Hildebrando Lopez
    
70. Jose Julio Luaces
    
71. James Timothy Maness
    
72. James Lowell Manning, (1982, aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false corporate income tax return)
    
73. John Robert Martin
    
74. Frank Ayala Martinez
    
75. Silvia Leticia Beltran Martinez
    
76. John Francis McCormick
    
77. Susan H. McDougal
    
78. Howard Mechanic
    
79. Brook K. Mitchell Sr.
    
80. Samuel Loring Morison
    
81. Charles Wilfred Morgan III
    
82. Richard Anthony Nazzaro
    
83. Charlene Ann Nosenko
    
84. Vernon Raymond Obermeier
    
85. Miguelina Ogalde
    
86. David C. Owen
    
87. Robert W. Palmer
    
88. Kelli Anne Perhosky
    
89. Richard H. Pezzopane
    
90. Orville Rex Phillips
    
91. Vinson Stewart Poling Jr.
    
92. James G. Powell
    
93. Norman Lyle Prouse
    
94. Willie H.H. Pruitt Jr.^[5]
    
95. Danny Martin Pursley Sr.
    
96. Charles D. Ravenel
    
97. William Clyde Ray
    
98. Alfredo Luna Regalado
    
99. Ildefonso Reynes Ricafort
    
100. Marc Rich
     
101. Howard Winfield Riddle
     
102. Richard Wilson Riley Jr., Cocaine and marijuana charges, His father was Clinton's Education Secretary.[4]
     
103. Samuel Lee Robbins
     
104. Joel Gonzales Rodriguez
     
105. Michael James Rogers
     
106. Anna Louise Ross
     
107. Dan Rostenkowski - Former Democratic Congressman convicted in the Congressional Post Office Scandal
     
108. Gerald Glen Rust
     
109. Jerri Ann Rust
     
110. Bettye June Rutherford
     
111. Gregory Lee Sands
     
112. Adolph Schwimmer
     
113. Albert A. Seretti Jr.
     
114. Patricia Campbell Hearst Shaw
     
115. Dennis Joseph Smith
     
116. Gerald Owen Smith
     
117. Stephen A. Smith
     
118. Jimmie Lee Speake
     
119. Charles Bernard Stewart
     
120. Marlena Francisca Stewart-Rollins
     
121. Fife Symington III - former Arizona governor
     
122. Richard Lee Tannehill
     
123. Nicholas C. Tenaglia
     
124. Gary Allen Thomas
     
125. Larry Weldon Todd
     
126. Olga C. Trevino
     
127. Ignatious Vamvouklis
     
128. Patricia A. Van De Weerd
     
129. Christopher V. Wade
     
130. Bill Wayne Warmath
     
131. Jack Kenneth Watson
     
132. Donna Lynn Webb
     
133. Donald William Wells
     
134. Robert H. Wendt
     
135. Jack L. Williams
     
136. Kavin Arthur Williams
     
137. Robert Michael Williams
     
138. Jimmie Lee Wilson
     
139. Thelma Louise Wingate
     
140. Mitchell Couey Wood
     
141. Warren Stannard Wood
     
142. Dewey Worthey
     
143. Rick Allen Yale
     
144. Joseph A. Yasak
     
145. William Stanley Yingling
     
146. Phillip David Young
     
147. Keith Sanders
     
148. Darren Muci
     
149. John Scott (not a full pardon)

[edit] Commutations

1. Ronald Henderson Blackley
   
2. Bert Wayne Bolan
   
3. Gloria Libia Camargo
   
4. Charles F. Campbell
   
5. David Ronald Chandler - federal death row inmate[1].
   
6. Lau Ching Chin
   
7. Donald R. Clark
   
8. Loreta De-Ann Coffman
   
9. Derrick Curry
   
10. Velinda Desalus
    
11. Jacob Elbaum
    
12. Linda Sue Evans
    
13. Loretta Sharon Fish
    
14. Antoinette M. Frink
    
15. David Goldstein
    
16. Gerard A. Greenfield
    
17. Bob F. Griffin, former Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives, who was serving two years on bribery charges^[3]
    
18. Jodie E. Israel
    
19. Kimberly Johnson
    
20. Billy Thornton Langston Jr.
    
21. Belinda Lynn Lumpkin
    
22. Peter MacDonald - Navajo Chairman (sentence for 14 years in 1993 for fraud and racketeering convictions.)
    
23. Kellie Ann Mann
    
24. Peter Ninemire
    
25. Hugh Ricardo Padmore
    
26. Arnold Paul Prosperi Florida attorney, tax fraud. managed Clinton's 1967 campaign for student-council president.[2]
    
27. Melvin J. Reynolds - Democratic Congressman from Illinois - bank fraud and obstruction of justice
    
28. Pedro Miguel Riveiro
    
29. Dorothy Rivers - lead official in Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, plead guilty to theft of 1.2 million dollars in federal grant money
    
30. Susan Rosenberg
    
31. Kalmen Stern
    
32. Cory Stringfellow
    
33. Carlos Anibal Vignali - convicted of cocaine trafficking
    
34. Thomas Wilson Waddell III
    
35. Harvey Weinig
    
36. Kim Allen Willis
    
37. Kemba Smith
    
38. Antonio Camacho Negron - FALN militant

According to dictionary.com, the meanings of the N-word are “deeply disparaging and are used when the speaker deliberately wishes to cause great offense.”  They go on to say, conversely, “it is sometimes used among African-Americans in a neutral or familiar way.”  Since he whispered the statement behind what he thought was a cold microphone, it is highly unlikely that Rev. Jackson intended to cause great offense and his use of the word probably falls into the latter category of usage. 

For example, the N-word can become much less offensive and even assume neutrality within historical discourse, literature, poetry, cinema theater and the like.  One could further argue that within certain contexts (i.e. rap music, conversations within the black households, neighborhoods and businesses, to name a few) connotations of the word can be construed so as to convey a sense of community…even a brotherhood, of sorts.  Language is fluid, dynamic and vital in its nature, not static or one-dimensional.  Context, message, intent, environment, speaker and audience all impact the ultimate nuance of meaning in all forms of communication. 

I agree with you and take deep offense at the use of the N-word, regardless of who says it.  However, I would like to comment on some of the other points you raised in your post.  A careful read of the actual statement shows that Rev. Jackson did not use this epithet to personally attack Obama.  Rather, he was referring to the black population as a whole.  Granted, his choice of words was extremely poor (at least from a white perspective), but the statement was not meant for public scrutiny.  It was spoken from one black individual to another, much the same was that Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s statements were made from black preacher to black congregation. 

As a white person, I do not believe I can sit in judgment one way or another regarding his choice of words when taken completely out of context, in the same way I am not qualified to criticize the sermons of Rev. Wright.  I would like to think that I am intelligent enough to understand that, having lived in the US as a white person both before and after the civil right eras (1948 to present), I have not experienced life in America the same way black people have.  They are entitled to their own “take” on their own lives.  Who am I to tell them how to “tell it like it is?”

One last point.  I am sure that much flap and bruhah will ensue over this unfortunate news.  However, the very fact that Rev. Sharpton, you, I, the media and countless others will be having this debate over our outrage and dismay is a testament as to just how effective Rev Jackson and other early leaders in the civil rights movement were in defining the key issues, defying status quo of his times, enlisting support for the cause, effectively engaging his opposition in ongoing bipartisan initiatives over nearly 4 decades and producing fruitful, far-reaching and substantial bodies of legislation from which today’s black community continue to reap bountiful benefits and blessings.  They weathered storms of protests, incarceration, series after series of setbacks and reversals, and buckets of bloodshed in their efforts to secure the civil liberties and rights that reach far beyond the black community to encompass other forms of discrimination against women, gays, immigrants and the poor, to name a few…all so casually taken for granted and so easily dismissed in the blink of an eye with one ill-chosen, unfortunate slip of the tongue. 

For those of us whose memories reach further back than the latest round of CNN sound bytes and chat room chatter, we probably would forgive Obama should he decide not to denounce Rev Jackson’s support, nor would we feel driven to force him to abandon his own pastor of 20 years for the sake of our own righteous indignation. 

Who out there has sent a child to Iraq?