Joan Ganz Cooney | 09/16/2008 2:00 pm

Joan Ganz Cooney on the Real Reason Obama Didn't Choose Hillary

I’ve been reading a lot of complaints that Obama did not choose Hillary as his vice president. And I have been moaning about it for days. I spoke yesterday with someone who knows a lot about it all who told me that Hillary was high on the list but the vettters couldn’t get past Bill’s very complicated philanthropy and business life because the two were so closely tied together. It was almost impossible to know where business stopped and philanthropy began. And of course a lot of foreign governments had donated to his library and other entities with which he was involved which would have become another story.

What they faced when considering her was that the press (it was rumored and was probably so that the Times had five reporters ready to go) would have a field day investigating Bill’s very complicated financial history. And what they became certain of was that Bill would become the story day after day and week after week and that they would never be able to get back on message. This all rings true, so I think those of us who support Obama should try to be happy with Joe Biden.

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Gulli: I’m days behind on this one. You are all over the map, sir! Hard to keep track of what you are saying. With regards to my comment that LBJ inherited JFKs “stuff” I was talking about the quiet escalation by “adviser” before he was killed AND nothing about Cuba although you tossed that in there. China and the EU. Not referring to the past but to the present vis a vis our economy. I lived through the LBJ years and Viet Nam…it was my generation that fought that war and protested against that war. By virtue of the faked attack in the Gulf of Tonkin, thereby named the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which gave war powers to LBJ, Congress be damned. I enjoyed your view and agree with some of it, but didn’t appreciate the comment about JFK or Clinton’s alleged sexual exploits. Who cares about that when our asses are in a sling?

By Bonita Caracciolo on 09/22/2008 7:24 pm

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it’s in print—-JFK was dumb as mud on some deals, but was going to withdraw ‘advisers’, and get out—-as for ‘sexual exploits’—-never heard of ‘groupies’? you feel males are the only ones so stricken? ‘fraid not—-‘the female of the species is more deadly than the male’—-old truism. i don’t care if a prez is like Jim Belushi in ‘Real Men’ (laugh-riot)—-spends some time going wild—-Just Do Not Mix with the proper political choice—-that is a crime—-my only concern—-

By gulliver fourmyle on 09/22/2008 10:29 pm

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Dr. Klein I think if you look at a history book about the Viet Nam “conflict” you’ll find that President Dwight D. Eisenhower actually was on duty when troubles began in Indo-China. The Diem brothers were propped up by the US govt as we scrambled to stop the march of communism from China which we surely knew would infiltrate Viet Nam, among other countries such as Cambodia and Laos. The French had, yet again (sorry) decided they were in over their heads and called the US in to “advise” about the problem of the Chinese Communists invading. The rest, as they say, is history, Now look, I know I left chunks out but that’s the Poor Man’s Version of events. I suspect Frank Peterson might help us along here as he’s a vet from that “conflict”. BTW, Welcome home, Frank.

By Bonita Caracciolo on 09/18/2008 7:17 pm

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Bonita—It’s true Eisenhower inherited the Viet Nam situation following the French defeat. Very worried about fighting a ground war in Asia it was JFK who escalated the conflict by using it as a model for counter-insurgency warfare. Kennedy had very grandiose ideas about how special units like the Green Berets could defeat pro-Communist insurgencies. The Kennedy gang was so anxious to regain power following JFK’s death they undermined LBJ 24/7 over the war in hopes of derailing his presidency to open the door to the White House in 1968 to Bobby Kennedy. The blood of thousands of American soldiers is on their hands.

By Dr. Mark Klein on 09/18/2008 11:54 pm

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Dr. Klein, “the blood of thousands of American soldiers is on their hands” re the “Kennedy gang” as you refer to them is slightly simplistic. Robert Kennedy wanted OUT of Viet Nam…as did LBJ before him. Bobby Kennedy had NO intention of running for the presidency when his brother was murdered and could barely hold it together in his position as attorney general. He and LBJ definitely disliked one another intensely. LBJ was behind “escalating” the war when he ordered the bombings of Haiphong Harbor and Hanoi, for sure. It was Congress that passed the resolution to allow the president to make these calls unilaterally by the War Powers Resolution which was hitched to a bogus naval attack. Secretary of Defense at the time, Robert McNamara published a book shortly after the death of Richard Nixon and admitted that enourmous mistakes were made by Lyndon Johnson and HIS gang. Speculation as to why LBJ refused to be involved in the 1968 election was because of the war and particularly when RFK announced. If the “Kennedy Gang” had been so powerful, as you suggest, perhaps this would explain RFKs murder.

By Bonita Caracciolo on 09/20/2008 10:17 am

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NB: I may have erred in putting it on Congress vis a vis the War Powers Resolution…perhaps this resolution cut out Congress altogether. Can anyone help here?

By Bonita Caracciolo on 09/20/2008 10:32 am

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easily done—-as we are a ‘tier-of-elites’ vs. actual democracy—-1 person, 1 vote (termed ‘Pluralism’) All 3 segments of USA rule have done—what they damn-well pleased—-while most citizens seem ‘numb’—-Lincoln suspended ‘habeus corpus’, among other crimes—-although Jefferson clearly stated, ‘when your guv rules you, it is your right And obligation to rebel.’ (paraphrased)—-Tommy Smothers, on ‘live’ tv. read thr Original—-‘Smothers’ Brother’s Show’? instantly canceled—-‘freedom-of-speech’? and Congress? Pork-chop-city’—-in the 1930s, this country’s ‘Commie-Party’ was getting stronger for every starved child—-so they ‘over-right’ ‘Jefferson’s file’—-and make it a capital crime to oppose our guv—-by arms—- reminds me Eastwood’s comment—-‘there are two kinds of people in this world—-those with a gun; and those who dig.’—-thank God for the NRA? and what scandal that our founding fathers left a trail of ‘milk-white’ kids? ‘Clinton/JFK-Disorder?’ big deal, people may have private lives, if no effect on guv—- if you have not seen all three segments of Guv are no longer ‘checks and balances’—-and ‘three-strikes-You’re-out’—-ya really don’t see how these three have ‘dumped’ law? for Absolute Power, ‘corrupts…’—- i still have a bit of trouble, ‘watching what they so, not what they say’ no easy thing—-helps to read ‘Ma Jones’—-smart people are not smarter, just lucky/different ‘programs’ from birth—-the ‘core intelligence’ of all remains the same—-ya just gotta ‘respect yourself’ and dig-out—-

By gulliver fourmyle on 09/22/2008 10:00 pm

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yep, Ike started that deal—-as for the Chinese ‘whupping’ the Viets? they’ve tried for thousands of years, only winning the past northern-most province. where did you think they went to military school? West Point? I think Diem was ‘made’ by ‘us’ prior to being propped up—-when he failed—-we killed him. the Best source of fact, on The Nam is the 6 part PBS VHS tapes—‘Vietnam’—-another must is ‘Hamburger Hill’. A Very interesting comment by a French soldier, in the PBS series—-in the deciding battle, he’s huddled against corpses, feeling the bullets yet hit them—-then, a grenade—-he wakes up in a Viet hospital—-his ‘commie’ dr. tells him, ‘you are a prisoner of the people’s republic. you have serious wounds which we are attending.’ and those drs. saved him—-hardly the Hanoi Hilton—-but by then i feel the Viets were less tolerant. as for Mcain’s fate—- a dupe in an illegal war, not confessing? why not? it was true. torturing a confession is also illegal—-so ne has a beef—-as the viets—-how such absurdity? watch ‘dr. strangelove’—-sums it up—-

By gulliver fourmyle on 09/19/2008 1:11 am

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Mark, Your mind is revising history. LBJ lied, lied mind you, about the events that escalated that war. When that happened, JFK was out of the picture. Was it Einstein that said that if the facts don’t match the truth, then change the facts.

By Diana T on 09/19/2008 9:04 am

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Mark, Go play

By Juanita Ward on 09/18/2008 6:42 pm

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No, no, guys, this is perfect. Gulliver and Dr. Mark at each other. Just what we needed! How cool is that!

By Mugsy Peabody on 09/19/2008 7:35 pm

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Ahh, I never thought about that, even though I was never a supporter of Senator Clinton. Great point , take for example look at what Sarah Palin is going thru it would have been worse because of all the ties Bill has, so hopefully those supporters can open their eyes and mind to see that Obama’s choice was a good ideal

By SomChics Designs on 09/16/2008 1:09 pm

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Sounds right. When the Kennedy’s backed Obama and hinted it was a civil rights issue re Bill, it didn’t make sense to me. I assumed they knew any Clinton on the ticket would be a disaster. I supported Hillary and now support Obama. Remember how they went after Geraldine Ferraro’s husband?

By Flora Dora on 09/16/2008 1:23 pm

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Very interesting. Makes me wonder what would have happened if Hillary had been the nominee—would Bill’s finances dragged her down? We may never know now. But I agree w you, full steam ahead on the team we have in front of us.

By Willow K on 09/16/2008 1:30 pm

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This is just a lame and utterly transparent attempt to make it Bill Clinton’s fault that Obama didn’t choose Hillary for VP. Sad. Did they really think we’d fall for this?

By Buh- Bye on 09/16/2008 3:20 pm