Obama’s misguided ‘friends’ in high places

[Curtis Metcalf]

Obama’s misguided ‘friends’ in high places
By Jonathan P. Hicks

Sen. Tom Coburn readily acknowledges that he considers Barack Obama to be a friend and that he has great respect for the president. Last week, Coburn, a Republican from Oklahoma, was asked by a reporter in Tulsa whether the president was seeking to destroy the country with his policies. Here was the senator's answer:

"No, I don't. He's a very bright man," Coburn said, sounding very much like a friend.

Then, Coburn starts to veer. "His intent isn't to destroy. It's to create dependency because it worked so well for him."

The friend gets more chilling. "As an African-American male, coming through the progress of everything he experienced, he got tremendous benefit through a lot of these programs," Coburn continued, sounding a little less friend-like. "So he believes in them. I just don't believe they work overall, and in the long run, they don't help our country. But he doesn't know that because his life experience is something different."

With friends like Coburn, who needs foes?

Complete article here.

[Reginald Hudlin]

Wow, Jonathan wrote a piece for the Amsterdam News?  I wonder how that happened? 

The piece itself is spot on, as I would expect from him.

[Battle]

I see where Mr. Hicks is coming from;    I'd expect one of the republican politicians to say they 'respect' President Obama and then denounce his idealisms in the same breath. He's just being a politician but you'd  have to wonder what are the motives behind the reporter even asking those kinds of questions.

However, no reporter asked any senator or other official whether it was Bush's aim to "destroy" America. And who would have described Bush's view on the policy matters of the day as based on his upbringing "as a white male"? Where was the national controversy and demands to see the birth certificate of the born-in-Panama Republican presidential candidate John McCain?

[Curtis Metcalf]

Wow, Jonathan wrote a piece for the Amsterdam News?  I wonder how that happened?  

The piece itself is spot on, as I would expect from him.

Well, he left the Times a while ago. He was at the think tank near City College but left when a new director was brought in. I guess the Amsterdam News is next for him.

[Reginald Hudlin]

Wow, Jonathan wrote a piece for the Amsterdam News?  I wonder how that happened?  

The piece itself is spot on, as I would expect from him.

Well, he left the Times a while ago. He was at the think tank near City College but left when a new director was brought in. I guess the Amsterdam News is next for him.

I hope he's E-i-C.