Sojourn to the Heartland

Arising from the sea of anxiety about this country's future is an island of optimism. Its name is Tyler, Texas. I traveled there last Thursday, October 22nd, to speak to a feisty, up-and-coming new group called Grassroots America - We the People. The trip was arranged through TOGINET radio, whose CEO and President, John Martin, is revolutionizing internet talk with his lineup of solid conservative programming backed by cutting edge technology.

Things moved pretty fast as soon as I arrived. We drove from the airport straight to the Toginet studios, high atop Toginet Towers overlooking beautiful downtown Tyler. Right away we went into the studio to record a show with the Grassroots America folks. Another interview was scheduled for that evening on another Toginet show, Politically Correct, as well.

While between flights earlier that day, I had participated in a panel discussion by cell phone on Crusade Radio with Lord Christopher Monckton. Lord Monckton is a highly regarded scientist and was the science advisor to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. He is traversing the United States raising the alarm bell over President Obama’s intention to sign a new global warming treaty at the Copenhagen UN Climate Change Conference in December. He was scheduled to speak to the U.S. Senate later that day, but we managed to get him scheduled for the show that evening. He was a great guest. Listen to the interview by going here and looking for his name under the “Recent Shows” heading on the right side of the page.

We the People

On Friday I spoke at a Grassroots America We the People “Call to Action” luncheon meeting. You can listen to the speech by going to Toginet’s GAWTP radio show, and look for the description of my speech under the “Recent Shows” heading.

Over the past year, the question I have been asked most frequently is, “What can we do?” People are frightened as never before. They are understandably anxious about the future, and as happens so frequently when the answer is not immediately apparent, despair that there may not be an answer.

My frequent response is that just because it is difficult to see the solution does not mean that there isn’t one. Despair never won any fight. Americans have repeatedly shown their ingenuity in the face of crisis throughout history. We may be late to stir, but once awoken are an amazingly resilient, dedicated and resourceful people. This is one of the many fruits of our freedom.

The left recognize this American spirit as a wildcard in the mix and are literally terrified of it. Joe Wilson’s spontaneous “You lie!” response to Barack Obama, and the left’s relentless campaign to discredit him afterward, despite Mr. Obama’s sweeping accusation of Republican lying mere minutes earlier, is one small example.

Grassroots America We the People is a big example of this great American spirit and goes a long way toward answering the question “What do we do?” Founder and President George Stephenson started the group on February 9th of this year as a weekly lunch meeting between himself and one other concerned activist. George had no experience in politics prior to the 2008 elections, when he was chosen as a precinct chairman.

This lunch meeting rapidly grew and attracted the attention of JoAnn Flemming, the formidable former Smith County Commissioner (and current GAWTP Board’s National Executive Director).
Eight months later the organization is 1,500 strong and growing every day. At least twelve other groups in surrounding counties have sprung up, inspired by GAWTP’s example.

GAWTP's strength lies in their focus on precinct level victories and they have created a simple cookie-cutter organizational model that can be replicated across the country. With the slogan, “Unite, Educate, Empower,” they call their strategy the County Model. It correctly recognizes that any successful effort to truly recapture America from the leftists must come from the ground up, and shows others how to do it.

Radical politicians at the national level get all the attention, and hence the focus of our outrage. But if every one were replaced tomorrow, there would still be a federal, state and local political and bureaucratic infrastructure in place dedicated to the same goals.

This destructive nest of termites has to be scoured completely out. They have insinuated themselves into our institutions at every level by stealth and duplicity. Honestly understood, they and their agenda could not survive, and GAWTP has developed the correct pest control formula.

The speech to the Friday GAWTP Call to Action meeting was well received. There was a brisk discussion following the speech and we used all of our allotted time.

Saturday I met with the group again to conduct a more informal, in depth seminar on the Manufactured Crisis Strategy. You can see the entire presentation on Reelsnap.com, here.

Again, the group was interested and animated, and we had an extensive question and answer period that used up all available time. I could have stayed all day talking with these good people.

Southern Hospitality

In addition to providing two days of very successful meetings, the folks in Tyler dished out southern hospitality in Texas-sized proportions. We dined on home-cooked southern dishes and saw the sights.

Our visit culminated with a trip to Gladewater, Texas’ famous Sacred Spur Ranch. Its storied history includes being home to the renowned Buzzard Breath barrel racing arena – the site of many competitions – and a barrel and reigning horse training facility with thirteen World Championships and twenty Reserve World Championships to its credit.

The ranch is also a night hotspot featuring popular country western acts and far and away the best ribs I have ever tasted.

Saturday night’s lineup featured the great Paula Nelson (Willie Nelson’s daughter and a star in her own right), who was at the Ranch to celebrate her birthday. Rudy Mata and the Ranch Hand Band, warmed things up, and Billy Joe Shaver, who Ranch owner Bob Miller called “My favorite songwriter and human being… the real deal… the original honky tonk hero,” closed the night with an unforgettable set.

Toginet Radio records the Saturday concerts held at the Sacred Spur, and this night was no exception. Unlike Blogtalk and other internet radio venues, Toginet (pronounced toh-gee-net) sounds as clear and sharp as FM. Listen to the whole concert! Go here and look for “Paula Nelson’s Birthday Party” under “Recent Shows.”

The show went from 7 pm to sometime past midnight. Present among the crowd was another Toginet celebrity, Eric Williams, the NFL defensive lineman who helped carry the Washington Redskins to Super Bowl history in 1991. Eric retired from football in 1993 and has relocated to Tyler. Now he co-hosts the Toginet radio show, Cowboys and Indians.

Walking among the crowd with his camera ever at the ready for a clandestine shot was the accomplished photographer, Dale Stenbroten. Dale is the owner of SR Studio.net, and has done portraits for such noted stars as Dennis Hopper, Jay Leno and Robert DeNiro. His photography is also featured in national magazines such as Oprah Winfrey’s “O,” Vanity Fair and many others.

With offices already in four locations around the country, Dale was impressed with his visit to Texas and is planning to open a studio in Houston. All photos in this article were provided courtesy of SR Studio.net.

Jim 'n Paula

It was a fantastic night of kick-ass country music and culminated in some entertaining antics. I had told my wife earlier that I was going to be “rubbing elbows” with the rich and famous, in the person of Paula Nelson, to which she replied: “Just make sure you keep it to the elbows.”

Paula is a really good sport and played up the gag to the hilt with this ad-libbed bit of theatre. The other folks in attendance were literally rolling on the ground laughing.

Fire & Brimstone

The morning after “rubbing elbows” with Paula, I felt a pressing need for redemption and hurried off to hear John C. Martin, Toginet.com President John Martin’s father, preach at his Community Presbyterian Church.

Pastor Martin preaches the old-fashioned way. He prepares. John reads and diligently translates the Bible from its original texts in Greek and Hebrew. He is a genuine Biblical scholar and has written numerous books on the subject. Read the description here about how he exhaustively prepares for each Sunday.

Pastor Martin’s sermon literally blew my socks off. Nothing like the mealy-mouthed pap you get at most churches these days, he teaches the Word unapologetically, with power born of knowledge and faith. This was followed by a question and answer session, which resolved doctrinal questions I had about Bible passages discussed in the sermon. Tyler is indeed blessed to have such a gifted preacher.

God may not forgive me for having such a great time. Just the same, I can honestly say I have rarely come away from a place feeling so revitalized, energized, and with a new sense of purpose.

Manufactured Crisis Speech

Jim Simpson gave a speech on the Manufactured Crisis Strategy last Friday, October 23, to Grassroots America We the People, in Tyler, Texas. To listen, go to the Grassroots America radio program and look to the right hand side, under the “Recent Shows” heading for the following description:

The Freedom Destroying Philosophy of Leaders in the White House Administration: James Simpson's Speech on Friday Oct 23 at Call To Action Lunch Meeting in Tyler, TX.

You can either click on the “Play” button under the description or double click on it and download the podcast.

Panel Discussion with Lord Monckton Thursday!

Tomorrow, Thursday, October 22, at noon eastern time, Jim Simpson will be on a radio discussion panel with Lord Christopher Monckton to talk about global warming and Lord Monckton's prophetic warning that we are about to give up our sovereignty to the UN.

Please go here for details.

Obama to surrender US sovereignty to UN at climate summit

Not content with his humiliation at Copenhagen, Denmark this past September, President Obama will be traveling there again in December to attend the UN COP15 Climate Change Conference. This agreement would commit the United States to punitive and expensive greenhouse gas regulations dictated by the United Nations without recourse.

COP stands for "Conference of the Parties" and the December Copenhagen conference will be the 15th under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), hence COP15. According to their website, it will be one of the largest conferences ever held outside the New York or Geneva headquarters, with an anticipated attendance of over 10,000 people, including governmental representatives from 189 countries, industry groups, and other non-governmental organizations.

The theme of the December 7 - 18 conference is "Hope," so perhaps Mr. Obama will have more luck this time. Instead of soliciting the International Olympic Committee with trite cliché and no payoffs, he will be doing something much easier: selling out our country. After all, ceding power, relinquishing billions in U.S. tax dollars and destroying U.S. economic competitiveness is a pretty easy sell to the countries that will benefit, and he has had a lot of practice doing the same thing here at home. He will have a hard time screwing this one up.

The Hope site optimistically pronounces:

On 7 December, leaders from 192 countries gather for UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen and decide the fate of our planet...

Decide the fate of our planet... Do these people have any idea how mindlessly grandiose they sound? Of course not. They are out to save the planet, just like Nancy Pelosi! It is hard for a normal person to imagine making such proclamations without embarrassment. But this is today's political class

This agreement will cede U.S. sovereignty permanently and irrevocably to the United Nations. So said British Lord Christopher Monckton at an event at Bethel University in St Paul, Minnesota this past Wednesday, October 14th.

Read more...

Senate Democrats Exempt Home States from Baucus Health Bill

Senate Democrats, who think healthcare "reform" is so important that we shouldn't take time to read the legislation, are now scurrying to exempt their home states from its costly provisions. In a Wall Street Journal article last Thursday, Kimberly Stassel described the situation:

A central feature of the Baucus bill is the vast expansion of state Medicaid programs. This is necessary, we are told, to cover more of the nation's uninsured. The provision has angered governors, since the federal government will cover only part of the expansion and stick fiscally strapped states with an additional $37 billion in costs.

Majority Leader, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) has cut a deal to exempt Nevada from these costs for the next five years. Generous Mr. Reid saw to it that Oregon, Rhode Island and Michigan got the same exclusion, using a formula known only to the Nevada Senator, because "they are suffering more than most."

Sure.

It has nothing to do with Reid's tough battle to retain his seat in the upcoming election cycle. Can't imagine what he got from those other states. Prime real estate? Or maybe just cover.

Other senators have raised the minimum tax threshold for high dollar health insurance plans because the thresholds provided in the Baucus bill turned out not to be so "high dollar" after all, hitting middle income folks in many states. 17 mostly blue states have gotten some version of this change.

Still more Democrats have made additional changes that benefit their respective states or lifted provisions that would otherwise hurt their constituents. Stassel concludes:

So, health-care "reform" is good, smart and necessary, so long as it isn't fully applied to the states of the senators who are pushing it. The Democrats' growing problem is that somebody is ultimately going to have to pay, and Mr. Reid's bad example has given every one the same idea. If Colorado has a fair claim on being treated the same way Nevada has been, of course we're going to ask to have that kind of treatment, promised Sen. Mark Udall, upon news of the Reid deal.

The naked self-serving, gall of these utterly corrupt Democrats defies belief. It is ironic that perhaps their corruption might possibly work in our favor for a change. Since Democrats seem intent on saving their own rear ends by exempting some of their constituents from the more costly provisions of this bill. Perhaps in their panic they will carve out so many loopholes that the whole thing falls apart.

It is a sad testimonial to the depths this country has sunk that we should have to rely on the self-serving impulses of Democrat senators to save us from some aspects of the legislation they are trying to saddle us with. But since "principled" Democrats are virtually impossible to find these days, it may well be the most we can hope for.

Finally, it seems impossible to concieve that these Democrat senators are unaware of the demoralizing impact their wantonly corrupt behavior has on the people of this country. More likely they are aware of it and see it as an added benefit. A demoralized population is much easier to manage.

That is why it is critically important to remain engaged. These people must be removed from office or we will lose our country.

Baucus Health Bill True Cost: $2 Trillion!

The Congressional Budget Office published its preliminary estimate Wednesday of the health overhaul bill crafted in secret by Montana Senator Max Baucus's Finance Committee. According to CBO, the Bill's $829 billion ten year cost would be offset by $910 billion in "savings," resulting in a net $81 billion reduction in the federal budget deficit by 2019.

Right. Take a deep breath....

Read the rest of the story.

Ayers admits 'Dreams' authorship again - just kidding

The news that Bill Ayers admitted authorship of Obama's 'Dreams From My Father' posted on these pages yesterday generated a lot of interest and comment. While most believe Ayers to be the author, some doubted the story that he would admit it to anyone, much less a conservative blogger. Others dismissed it as simply a tease. Salon.com ridiculed it (what do you expect), and still others thought the whole thing irrelevant either way.

It has come to light that he said almost the identical thing to a National Journal reporter recently. Jonah Goldberg at National Review put up a post today in The Corner quoting the Journal's Will Englund:

Who actually wrote Dreams From My Father? ... National Journal caught up with Ayers at a recent book festival ... When he finished speaking, we put the authorship question right to him. For a split second, Ayers was nonplussed. Then an Abbie Hoffmanish, steal-this-book-sort-of-smile lit up his face. He gently took National Journal by the arm. "Here's what I'm going to say. This is my quote. Be sure to write it down: 'Yes, I wrote Dreams From My Father. I ghostwrote the whole thing. I met with the president three or four times, and then I wrote the entire book.'" He released National Journal's arm, and beamed in Marxist triumph. "And now I would like the royalties."

This is pretty much identical to what he said Monday. In light of that, I am inclined to agree with the skeptics that he was just having a joke on us. Or maybe it was a little more than that. Maybe this is the beginning of another smear campaign, wherein anyone who suggests Bill Ayers wrote Obama’s book is castigated, like people who question Obama’s eligibility. “Sure, I wrote Dreams, ha, ha, ha, and Sleeping Beauty too.”

It seems pretty clear that he did write most or all of the book. This is stated plainly in Christopher Andersen's biography, never mind Cashill's diligent sleuthing. And while no one, left or otherwise, would deny Ayers lies, Andersen's veracity has never been doubted before now.

As to its relevance, this is a blockbuster story really, because it completely discredits Obama's carefully crafted image. From that standpoint it makes sense that Ayers would try to ridicule those of us peddling it. As Jack Cashill makes clear at American Thinker today,

First, it reveals Obama to have been a shameless liar in his disavowal of Ayers during the campaign. Second, it suggests a dangerously intimate relationship with a man whose hatred of the United States borders on the pathological. And third, it makes a total sham out of the literary world's anointment of Obama as "the best writer to occupy the White House since Lincoln," the understanding on which the Obama genius myth is based.

Remember, influential people decided to back this president based on his supposed authorship of Dreams.

In light of the National Journal post it seems clear that Ayers was playing games, and I bought into it. Oh well, there goes perfect for the day.

But whatever Ayers hoped to gain, the story is not going away.

Ayers has been a very influential person in Obama's life going back at least to the early 1990s, and likely the 1980s. In the 1990s, Ayers helped Obama gain access to the deep pockets of Chicago foundations, where he used them to grease the skids for his political career.

He was a key player in many of the pro-Obama leftist organizations that helped Obama gain the White House. Until Ayers was summarily tossed under the bus in the campaign last year, many believed he was still a key influence, a mentor even.

The story of his authorship remains relevant and provides yet more fuel for those of us who believe that President Obama gained office on false pretenses, is a danger to this country and thoroughly unfit to serve.

Ayers may well be trying to marginalize those who legitimately question his role as Obama’s ghostwriter on Dreams. But he is playing with fire, considering the evidence that is at hand.

Photograph: Jeff Sciortino

Bill Ayers admits writing 'Dreams' to conservative blogger

Truth is stranger than fiction. Last Friday we posted an article asserting Bill Ayers' authorship of President Barack Obama's 'Dreams From My Father,' based on claims made by Obama biographer Christopher Andersen. It is possible that we have now gotten direct confirmation of this from Bill Ayers himself.

Anne Leary of Back Yard Conservative was passing through Washington, DC’s Reagan National Airport yesterday, and was surprised to come across Bill Ayers at Starbucks: “scruffy, thinning beard, dippy earring, and the wire rims, heading to order.” She struck up a conversation with him and snapped the accompanying photo. (Photo provided courtesy Anne Leary.)

I interviewed Anne this morning about it.

Ayers was in Washington, he told her, for a conference on education. “That's what I do, education,” he said. “You shouldn't believe everything you hear about me... You know nothing about me.”

To which she responded, “I said, I know plenty--I'm from Chicago, a conservative blogger, and I'll post this.”

I bet his heart skipped a beat on that one.

But he didn’t scowl, and didn’t run off as he has been known to do. Instead, unprompted, he blurted out: “I wrote ‘Dreams From My Father… Michelle asked me to.” Then he added “And if you can prove it we can split the royalties.”

Anne responded, “Stop pulling my leg!”

But he repeated insistently, “I wrote it, the wording was similar [to Ayers’ other writing.]”

Anne responded, “I believe you probably heavily edited it.”

Ayers stated firmly, “I wrote it.”

Anne ended the conversation by saying “why would I believe you? You're a liar.”

Good for her. But we are left to wonder. Despite her parting shot, Anne was convinced Ayers was in earnest. He was making a public statement. He wanted this news out there.

Was he, as she had asked, pulling our collective legs? Other sources report rumors that Ayers is very upset both about not getting any credit for helping Obama on ‘Dreams,’ and may also be put off by being summarily thrown under the bus along with Rev. Wright and everyone else who becomes an inconvenience to this President.

My understanding of communists is that most would know better and keep their mouths shut. But Ayers is a bit different. He is, as he says, a “small ‘c’ communist,” but he is also, in a certain, slimy way, an entrepreneur, as we explained in Monday's post. (Apologies in advance to entrepreneurs everywhere.) He grew up a very rich kid, used to getting everything he wanted. Even as an adult his career has relied on a hand up from his wealthy father. His past statements and radical activities also mark him as a megalomaniac. In youth he drew attention to himself by blowing things up. As an adult "educator" he merely attempts to subvert children. But that doesn't seem to be going so well.

He is under a lot of pressure, too. Ayers and his horrid wife Bernardine Dohrn are believed to have planned and executed the San Francisco Park Police Station bombing in 1970 that killed police sergeant Brian V. McDonnell and wounded several others. Efforts to bring them to justice have been underway for some time, as brought to light this past March in a National Press Club conference put on by Cliff Kincaid of America’s Survival.

Cliff’s guests included Larry Grathwohl, the FBI’s undercover agent who penetrated Ayers’ Weather Underground and produced this stunning testimony about Ayers’ plan to massacre 25 million Americans, retired S.F. policeman James Pera, first on the scene at the bombing, and veteran researcher Trevor Loudon.

Now, a recent exposé by San Francisco reporter Peter Jamison has revealed additional evidence, including testimony from other Weather Underground members, that Dohrn planted the bomb that killed Sgt. McDonnell.

Maybe in his overstressed state Bill’s megalomania has just gotten the better of him.

Copenhagen: President Obama reveals unfitness for office more every day

Ignoring pressing national security issues, President Obama flew off to Denmark yesterday to literally beg the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to accept Chicago as location for the 2016 Olympics.

Chicago.

Barack met up with Michelle, who had arrived on Wednesday, already suffering through her second day of sacrifice exploring Copenhagen with "chit-chat buddy" Oprah Winfrey. As Michelle related in an inspiring speech to supporters:

As much of a sacrifice as people say this is for me or Oprah or the president to come for these few days, so many of you in this room have been working for years to bring this bid home.

She can't be serious. Obama was even less convincing:

I urge you to choose Chicago... And if you do - if we walk this path together - then I promise you this: The city of Chicago and the United States of America will make the world proud.

Chicago will make the world proud? How? And why shouldn't we feel proud now?

In what is widely percieved as a deliberate snub, the IOC rejected Chicago in the first round of decision- making shortly after Obama's speech. As Axcess News reported, one IOC member was overheard snickering: "there's no 'change' for Mr. Obama here."

Meanwhile PR consultant and Administration behind-the-scenes puppetmaster, David Axelrod, dismissed Obama's failure as "politics." There it is again: racism! I bet there were a bunch of Republicans over there spreading false rumors too! Or maybe it was one of those Tea Party people spreading lies about the corruption of Chicago!

No sitting president has ever gone before the IOC to plead our case. Oh wait! He wasn't pleading our case. He was pleading Chicago's case! Accompanying Obama was "the other side of Obama's brain," Valerie Jarrett. It seems that not only is Valerie Obama's confidante and senior advisor, she also was on the board of the Chicago 2016 olympics committee until joining the White House. No conflict of interest there. And while she resigned that position, she let everyone know this would be a big priority. Two more friends of Obama, John Rogers and Marty Nesbitt, remain on the Board. They went to Denmark too.

In fact an entire contingent of Obama's Chicago network, including Obama campaign finance chair Penny Pritzker, traveled to Copenhagen to "sacrifice" among the glitterati along with Oprah and the Obamas, while the President did his best to bring home the bacon.

This humiliating trip cost U.S. taxpayers one million dollars. That he would sully the office of the President for such naked parochial interests demonstrates just how out of touch, and entrenched in Chicago's corrupt politics, Obama is.

As we reported yesterday, it has recently been revealed that Obama isn't the great writer he claims to be either. He relied on the writing skills of Bill Ayers to compose his bestselling book "Dreams From My Father." So nix that qualification.

General Stanley McChrystal revealed Sunday that he has only spoken with Obama once since taking over U.S. military leadership in Afghanistan.

Once. For about a half-hour.

McChrystal requested more troops in August. That Obama would fail to discuss even this with his top military commander in Afghanistan for a month at the height of a shooting war is inexplicable. In an aptly titled post "Obama Lied, People Died," Redstate points out that Obama has dithered on troop strength increases since February, and:

To the detriment of us all, while Obama waffles and flips and flops (like the fish out of water we all knew he WOULD be in trying to fake it as a legitimate Commander in Chief) between all these strategies he can’t seem to make up his mind about, 317 MORE Soldiers have died fighting in defense of Operation Enduring Freedom which is more than 30% of the total lives lost during the entire 8 years of the conflict.

This week however, McChrystal has had an opportunity to speak with Obama twice by video phone. Wonder why? In an apparent effort to blunt criticism of his preoccupation with Chicago's bid for the Olympics, Obama met with the General for 25 minutes on Air Force One while it was parked on the tarmac at Copenhagen Airport.

That's reassuring. The President is on the case. Not to worry.

This comes on the heels of Obama speaking "without preconditions" to that lunatic Ahmadinejad. Note that Ahmadinejad never said he had no preconditions. So while Iranian democracy advocates get murdered in the streets, Obama seeks to "engage" with the Iranian thug responsible, but can't find time to speak with his own military commanders?

What planet are these people from?

Finally, the healthcare debate, the limp economic "stimulus" that appears in need of a big shot of Viagra, the 821 page Cap and Trade (read massive tax increase) bill, and every other facet of Obama's domestic policy, demonstrate an ignorance of basic economic principles so profound it defies belief.

That is why I do not believe these people are ignorant. They are simply reckless. They don't care. They are out to destroy this country.

They are succeeding.

Media malpractice - silence deafening on Ayers' authorship of "Dreams"

Perhaps one of the biggest political stories of the year is being completely overlooked by the Obama-struck old media. A new biography by veteran author Christopher Andersen, "Barack and Michelle: Portrait of a Marriage," reveals that former Weather Underground terrorist Bill Ayers wrote most, if not all of President Obama’s book "Dreams From My Father."

In a series of American Thinker articles over the past year, PhD author and columnist, Jack Cashill has been asserting just that. But while he found striking similarities between the two men’s writing styles he could never conclusively prove Ayers' ghost authorship. Andersen’s book does.

Cashill relates: "relying on inside sources, quite possibly Michelle Obama herself, Andersen describes how Dreams came to be published -- just as I had envisioned it in my articles on the authorship of Dreams.

"With the deadline pressing, Michelle recommended that Barack seek advice from 'his friend and Hyde Park neighbor Bill Ayers.' Despite a large advance, Obama found himself 'hopelessly blocked.’ After four futile years of trying to finish, Obama ‘sought advice from his friend and Hyde Park neighbor Bill Ayers.' This he did 'at Michelle’s urging.'"

Andersen explains their rationale: "Everyone knew they were friends and that they worked on various projects together. It was no secret. Why would it be?"

I don't know, but it was certainly considered a secret by candidate Obama, and the media bent over backwards to keep it that way.

This was not the first time Mr. Obama was "blocked" either.

Shortly after Mr. Obama was elected the first black president of the Harvard Law Review, an aggressive literary agent named Jane Dystel secured a $125,000 advance from Simon & Schuster for him to write his book. An astounding sum for a first-time author, he never delivered. After years of waiting, the publisher dropped him.

Dystel then secured him a second advance for $40,000 from Random House, and in 1995 "Dreams" was finally published. After gaining his U.S. Senate seat, Mr. Obama dumped Dystel in favor of someone cheaper. She was understandibly infuriated. It is worth noting that as president of the Law Review, Mr. Obama wrote one short article. No other has ever been found. For such a supposedly gifted writer this is truly odd. And as Cashill has noted, Obama's published poetry is truly sophomoric.

Furthermore, "president" of the Law Review is not the same as "editor" of the Law Review. Being editor requires a commanding knowledge of both writing skills and law. It is a very demanding job. Being president, on the other hand, is more of a figurehead position.

Andersen concludes: "In the end, Ayers's contribution to Barack's Dreams From My Father would be significant--so much so that the book's language, oddly specific references, literary devices, and themes would bear a jarring similarity to Ayers's own writing."

All this has somehow been lost on mass media's intrepid investigative journalists. Nary a peep.

During his campaign, candidate Obama took great pains to distance himself from Ayers, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and the many other radicals he knew. But investigation by many independent journalists overcame the media blackout to reveal extensive connections between the two men.

It is old news now that Ayers and Obama served on the boards of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge and the Woods Fund together, but in total, Obama worked with Ayers and other radicals on at least six related non-profit boards and shared the same office for three years with Ayers and fellow radicals, Susan and Mike Klonsky.

Now this latest revelation about Ayers' ghostwriting suggests that not only did they work together, but Ayers essentially gave Obama his voice.

Barack Obama is no literary giant. Furthermore, his steadfast refusal to provide any concrete information about any details of his past, his college grades, past job performance, or even voting record in the Illinois Senate, makes one wonder if Mr. Obama has any qualifications -- besides a polished public persona -- at all.

He is looking more and more like a mere construct, a carefully crafted mouthpiece for a cabal of anonymous radicals. Consider just a few of his "Czar" picks:

Kevin Jennings the openly homosexual "Safe Schools Czar" who encouraged pedophilia;

Cass Sunstein, the "Regulatory Czar" who believes, among other things, that animals should have the right to sue humans in court;

Van Jones, like Ayers, a self-described communist, fortunately resigned under a cloud. As "Green Jobs Czar," Jones was to distribute stimulus money based on formulas worked up by the Apollo Alliance, run in NY by Jeff Jones. No relation to Van, Jeff is an old Weather Underground friend of Bill Ayers.

Valerie Jarrett -- the "other side of Obama’s brain," -- has spent a lifetime working with and around the American Communist Party and is thoroughly plugged-in to Chicago radical networks. Jarrett recommended Van Jones for Green Jobs Czar.

The list goes on and on.

Obama’s early denial of Ayers is ringing ever hollower. Rather than being just "some guy in my neighborhood," Ayers and Obama are fused at the hip. And Ayers is typical of the rabid, anti-American lunatics Barack has surrounded himself with.

Meanwhile, the media's silence is deafening.

God help us.