Immediately after the conclusion of Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, CNN’s David Gergen oozed that the speech was “less a speech than a symphony.” Perhaps that is indeed the case. If so, its title should be “Ode to Deception.” 

This despicable oration was a microcosm of Obama’s campaign against reason. Utilizing a near-perfect blend of deception, rhetoric, personal attacks and sarcasm, the Celebrity managed to destroy his message of change once and for all. The 2008 election is essentially a contest of change, and despite the elaborate stages and chanting crowd, the American people got a full serving of the Real Obama.

At the beginning of his monologue, Obama accused John McCain of agreeing with President Bush 90 percent of the time. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready to take a 10 percent chance on change.” The truth is that America cannot afford to take any chances on Obama. Because Obama was desperate to draw attention away from himself and his horrible, divisive record, he resorted to the oldest and simplest form of political manipulation: intentional deceit.

These attacks might have worked in his past days as a tool of the Chicago political machine, but the American people must learn the truth. A review of some of the speech’s most notable excerpts show once again that Obama’s politics represent more of the same.

Deception #1:
[McCain] said that our economy has made “great progress” under this President.

The Truth:
As has been reported multiple times by multiple sources, Obama took Mccain’s words and twisted them wildly out of context to fit his agenda. The full context of the discussion shows that McCain told reporters that any gains made paled in comparison to the struggles of working-class Americans in this economy. McCain has opposed many of President Bush’s economic policies, including his acceptance of out-of-control pork-barrel spending. [1]

Deception #2:
“Now, I don’t believe that Senator McCain doesn’t care what’s going on in the lives of Americans. I just think he doesn’t know. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year?”

The Truth:
This is a patently false and is slander. McCain made the comment at the Saddleback Civil Forum, and used the answer as a joke during the midst of a detailed and thoughtful answer. He even told Rick Warren immediately afterward, “I’m sure that comment would be distorted.” [2]

Deception #3:
“For over two decades, he’s subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy - give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else.”

The Truth:
McCain opposed the Bush tax cuts because of excessive spending and the lack of a cut for the middle class. [3]

Deception #4:
“Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close. As President, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power.”

The Truth:
Obama is the Dr. No of energy policy. He opposes McCain’s gas tax holiday, opposes offshore drilling, opposes nuclear technology, opposes McCain’s $300 million reward for new battery technology, and wants to levy a tax on oil that would only serve to further drive up the cost of gas. [4]

Deception #5:
“Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy. Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don’t have that chance.”

The Truth:
In 2007, Obama proudly accepted the endorsement of the Chicago Teachers Union and used this endorsement to justify his educational reform agenda. What he did not disclose was the CTU’s inexcusable handling of Chicago’s school crisis. Chicago’s public schools send students home after only 5 hours and 45 minutes each day due to budget shorfalls. Only 54 percent of high school freshmen graduate, and only 6 percent will earn a college degree. Nearly 70 percent of Chicago students fall below state testing standards. Yet, Chicago’s teachers haul in over $80,000 per year, and the CTU has indignantly opposed extending the school day. In his years as an Illinois state senator, as well as his US Senate career, Obama has never attempted to address the problem in his home state, and has never taken a position that placed him at odds with the CTU. To do so would risk losing the backing of this imporant lobby, so he continues to play old-style Chicago politics, once again. That is not putting education first. That’s putting politics first. And it’s disgusting. [5]

Deception #6:
“Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I’ve laid out how I’ll pay for every dime - by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don’t help America grow. But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less - because we cannot meet twenty-first century challenges with a twentieth century bureaucracy.”

The Truth:
Obama repeatedly told interviewers that he would not commit to reducing the budget at all by 2013, and instead suggested he might increase government spending over 4 years. [6]

Deception #7:
“John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war.”

The Truth:
John McCain was the Bush administration’s greatest critic in challenging its handling of the Iraq War. It was because of his surge strategy that troops are now returning victorious from Iraq. McCain wholeheartedly supports a gradual troop withdrawal based on real time battlefield conditions. He listens to and understands the advice given to him by the generals in the field, and bases his decisions on America’s best strategic interests. However, he opposes reckless and artificial timetables as prescribed by Obama-timetables that would allow the enemy to lie in wait for Americans to leave.

Deception #8:
“You can’t truly stand up for Georgia when you’ve strained our oldest alliances.”

The Truth:
When Russia invaded Georgia, McCain condemned the Russian acts of aggression. Obama urged ‘restraint’ on both sides, including America’s invaded ally. It was days later that Obama eventually acknowledged Russia’s wrongdoing. [7]

Deception #9:
“So I’ve got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first.”

The Truth:
Barack Obama did not put his country first when he broke his promise on public financing. [8] He did not put his country first when he refused to debate McCain in town hall meetings. [9] He did not put his country first when he spent 20 years under the radical and hatemongering tutelage of Jeremiah Wright, then ditched him when the truth was revealed. [10] He did not put his country first by cutting a killer deal for a Chicago mansion with his best friend Tony Rezko (a convicted felon). [11] He did not put country first when he went before 200,000 screaming Germans, yet refused to visit wounded American soldiers at Landstuhl hospital after finding out that he could not bring cameras with him. [12]

Deception #10:
“The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you.”

The Truth:
Patriotism may have no party, but it does have limits. How does Obama define a patriot? He became friends with William Ayers and launched his campaign with a fundraiser at Ayers’ home. Ayers was a prominent member of the Weather Underground, a radical, anti-war group that bombed the Pentagon and several other federal buildings. [13] Years later, Ayers still refuses to apologize or repent for his terrorist actions, and actually told a crowed on September 11, 2001 that he wished he would have bombed more buildings. [14] Ayers appeared in a photoshoot shortly before that standing on top of a crumpled American flag. [15] While Obama claimed that he had no personal relations with Ayers, that is a lie; Ayers handpicked Obama to head up an educational inititiave that failed to achieve any succesful results. [16] Does this personal friend of Obama’s constitute the definition of a patriot?

Summary
He can surely put on a spectacle. 85,000 screaming, adoring fans, media obsession, and international praise prove to the world that Barack Obama is a superstar. Yet, as more of his record becomes available to the American public, the Real Obama is getting more and more difficult to hide. Any presidential election comes down to one crucial question: which candidate can be trusted to lead his country for the next four years? In his acceptance speech, Obama told those watching that America could trust him to keep his promises. But after years of broken promises and political maneuvering, Obama’s credibility has faded into the oblivion of history. The only things he can truly promise are great speeches and big crowds. After a lifetime of service to his nation, John McCain promises to always put his country first. That is a promise to keep.

Sources:
All excerpts from Obama’s speech were taken from the written transcript at: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/08/the_american_promise.html
1. D’Angelo Gore, “Distorting McCain’s Remarks,” FactCheck.org, 8/19/08
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zovk-H5qmBE
3. http://ontheissues.org/2008/John_McCain_Tax_Reform.htm
4. Editorial, “Tapping Tired Wells,” The Washington Post, 8/6/08
5. http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=Y2E1MTFkZTVjZTlkOTBiYWFlYWUyM2RjYTRjNjhkMmM=
6. Nedra Pickler, “Analysis: Obama Won’t Try For McCain’s Budget Goal,” The Associated Press, 7/8/08
7. Michael Hirsh, “Why McCain’s Collapse Matters,” Newsweek, 7/26/07
8. http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/19/obama.public.financing/index.html
9. http://www.wtop.com/?nid=213&sid=1420536
10. http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/922796,CST-NWS-sweet30.article
11. http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4315880&page=1
12. http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/07/obama_and_landstuhl_cont_1.asp
13. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8630.html
14. http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MjVkOTAzZjhmYjQ1MDZlM2VmOTUwMTJkZThjOTM4Mzk=
15. http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/August-2001/No-Regrets/
16. http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/08/obamas_lost_annenberg_years_co.html