The first half of this historic year is almost past. My word, but it has gone by quickly. While 2008 had started out with a number of presidential participants, worthy or not, gradually this presidential marathon called 'The Primaries' pared its way down to a three ring circus of Hillary, Barrack and huh, that other guy, oh you know, that old guy, kind of quiet, experienced, a true war hero type, that father of two sons now serving in our military, oh yes, John, John McCain.

    Anyway I call it a Three Ring Circus because to me that was exactly what it became after the others like Edwards, Kucinich, Huckabee, Paul, Romney and Thompson were eliminated or dropped out from fatigue. For after these runners left we were all unwittingly invited to this Three Ring Circus under The Big Top featuring Hillary on the Left, McCain on the Right and with the Star of the Show, The Main Headliner, The Healer, Barrack Hussein Obama in the Center Ring.
 

    Begrudgingly we all took a seat under The Big Top expecting to at least be informed, educated or enlightened as to what we may expect in the next four years under a new President. Instead we were forced to watch a freak show performed under the lights of this new style of the circus of constant video and TV coverage. Did any of the rest of you get the idea that all of the shenanigans, verbal juggling, idiotic and shocking behavior and the double, double talk that was pulled off everyday before our collective eyes were just diversions from what we really should have been discussing?

For America, for all of us, I was embarrassed.

        On the left, in her ring, Hillary told war stories of snipers and incoming. When she was proven to be a liar she claimed 'battle fatigue' due to the rigors of campaigning yet boasted of being the only 'One' qualified to take that all important call in the dead of night at 3 AM. To help her entertain the crowd she brought in 'guest stars' like her hubby, Bill The Wandering Clown. But she forgot to tighten his leash and his misspoken words did her more harm than good. Still, she talked about health care for everyone and tax cuts for the poor. She promised that she would bring our troops home from Iraq. She complained, and not without some cause, of a biased media who openly favored and too often forgave her main opponent in the Center Ring. She wept, and then she cried out that she should be 'The Star', and that this was her time to shine in that Center Ring. But it was a show too many people had already seen and heard before and in America you must always give the people something new.

    On the right, in his ring, Old John performed a miracle yet no one seemed to care. Long ago, with his campaign given up for dead and forgotten, like Lazarus being raised from the dead, John came back to life to win the Republican nomination. But even though he shared the spotlight in his ring, John was more or less just an observer to the outlandish performances in the other rings. To fill the time he talked about the issues at hand and stated straight forward that the war in Iraq was being won and that the war on terrorism is going to be a long war. He would also not pull out our troops until the job was done. He talked about keeping the status quos and that every American must do their part to help the economy. With class he endured the cowardly, false smear by the New York Times of a nonexistent extra-marital affair. But Old John had no 'guest stars' to parade before the masses and although his ring had substance it lacked glitter and flash, so the crowd paid little attention, for fueled by a fawning media the flash and noise came mainly from the Center Ring.

    In that Center Ring, out of nowhere, for now a Star has been born, or at least manufactured by the moneymen and the media. For this 'Star' has no experience for what is being asked of him and yet even though it concerns the well being, security and futures of ourselves and our families, all too few of us seem to care about that inexperience.

    Obama certainly did not disappoint the masses when called upon to provide a show. First Obama, 'The Educator', 'The Orator', while mocking his opponent's criticism, explained to us about words and how all words have meaning. He then made it clear that he did not vote to go to war in Iraq and no one seemed to care that he has so little time in office that he was not even eligible to cast such a vote when that tally was taken. He talked about pulling the troops out of Iraq because we are losing the war. He promised tax cuts to the poor and health care for all Americans. He promised to reduce our military, freeze our nuclear weapons programs and to meet with known terrorist leaders without qualifications or restrictions. He bragged about how he would not cater to special interests and how he takes no money from them. But again no one cared to question to whom he now owes that huge dept for collecting record sums in donations to a candidate or to who he must now surely be obliged. Nobody, and I mean nobody, gives away that much cash without an agenda. Furthermore he said that he would push for strict gun controls on all Americans. He endorsed full term abortions but added that he is against trying minors as adults who as gang members have committed murder. He promised "Change For America," more than a few times. He stated America is the greatest country on earth, help me to make that change, and the crowds roared.
 

    Now into his ring came a continuous line of 'guest stars' and clowns. At first Oprah followed him everywhere he moved, who knows she may have even given him a car. Other Hollywood celebrities came out in force to show their support for this new 'Messiah' who has come out of nowhere. But it was the clowns who captured the crowd's attention, if not by their amusements they entertained, then at least by the shock and awe effect of the clowns' antics and hateful words that kept the people's attention focused solely upon Obama.

    The first clown was his wife who brought cheers from her adoring admirers as she stated that for the first time in her life she has been proud of her country, and she is how old? She also wanted us all to know that America is mean. The next clown was Obama's self-proclaimed 'Mentor', 'The Reverend', who to a chorus after chorus of "Amen!" shouted out a hatred for America and the white race. He jumped around the ring while waving his arms and gleefully proclaimed that the white man had invented AIDS to kill off the black race and that 9/11 had just been chickens coming home to roost. He insisted that instead of God Bless America, it was Goddamn America, and the people in attendance cheered.

    When asked by the Ring Master to explain why Obama had attended a church where the reverend preached such hateful sermons, to the approving roar of the crowd Obama sacrificed his grandmother to protect the reverend by explaining that granny was a just typical white person and that we should all understand. The reverend, after all, was just like a crazy uncle and really don't we all have one of those? For this speech Obama was shamelessly compared to Lincoln. Then, magnificently displaying his magical skills, Obama proceeded to pull a rabbit out of his hat by telling his gullible followers that for twenty years he never knew that this kind of hateful rhetoric was being spoken at his church. He would not censure or condemn this reverend clown for what the man believed or said. After all, he reasoned, what his wife and his reverend had said were merely just words. And so despite this association, a kinship that would have destroyed any other candidate's campaign, Obama was again forgiven and allowed to finish his show.

    But the reverend clown was not done in the center ring until he made a complete ass out of himself by expounding on his hatred towards our country and yelling at people asking if they had ever read the writings of one James Cone and his theology of Black separatism? This of course was what the reverend clown believed in, along with a deep admiration for Louis Farrakhan of the Nation Of Islam. Thankfully Louie didn't join them in the ring but it must be believed that he is patiently waiting in the wings. I have watched interviews of Cone and read some of his writings and I find it most disturbing that possibly the next president of ALL the people in our country has been subjected to this hateful and racial separatist ideology for the past twenty years, or more. Finally, for political necessity, Obama had to cut the reverend clown loose so he sent him out for popcorn. Anyone who thinks that this is the end of the reverend clown if Obama is elected is only fooling them selves.

    The mad bomber clown then made a short appearance, he of the '70s Weathermen home grown, terrorist gang. It seems he is a supporter and a friend of Obama's but what I can't figure out is why this clown isn't still rotting away in some jail, or hanging from the gallows? Anyway, he didn't have much to say but he was a real bang with the anti-Pentagon crowd.
 

    The next clown to show up was a priest who again said hateful and degrading things before Obama's admiring and very vocal, fellow church members. The priest clown was truly a perverted jester as he ranted and raved, jumped up and down in what seemed to be a very bad white man's impersonation of a coked up Richard Pryor. Upon completion of his part of this disgusting act this clown was immediately taken to task for what he had said and just as immediately the clown jester apologized for saying it, you know like the very next day, "Oh, maaaan… like I'm reeeaaally sorry dude. Duh uh…" Of course this ugly episode was soon also quickly forgotten, and forgiven.

    At one brief point in his performance Obama tamed some monkeys, or at least one woman who brought them into play. When a super delegate of their party was accused of a racial slur by referring to some children playing in a tree as monkeys she was charged with disturbing the peace, arrested and fined. The crowds watched and waited for some Solomon like judgment from Obama 'The Healer.' For it has been said by his believers that Obama is the one who will heal our nation's racial strife. 

    But instead Obama, or at least his campaign, simply demanded the woman's resignation as a super delegate of their party. No healing here, no wisdom, just the same old empowerment of one person over another because of race and an assumed slur. Justice? There was none, just a woman, a member of a minority herself, who had just wanted to protect some children from getting hurt but said a word that another person took as offensive. So the protector was arrested, fined, and lost her job along with her status in the community. Where was the healing in this decision? What kind of 'Change' is this that Obama promises when many years ago a prominent man lost his job and status in our society because he said, "Look at that little monkey run," while describing a rather small football player run for touchdown. The football player did not object or take offense and was a friend of the 'guilty' man. But this man too tried to explain that he did not intend it as a racial slur. He also tried to explain that he affectionately called his children and his grandchildren monkeys. He too was a member of a minority. His name was Howard Cosell. None of that mattered then just as it did not matter this time, so much for 'Change' so much for 'Healing.' Yet no one seemed to grasp the absurdity or the sameness in Obama's demand for this woman's resignation. Amazingly his actions were called "magnanimous" and he was cheered for his demand because the woman was a super delegate who had been committed to Obama and now, even though his race with Hillary was close, he had given up the vote of a super delegate due to his beliefs. This may have been the most insane moment in his performance but it hardly caught the audience's attention because of all the clowns that were parading out to distract us.

    I sat in the audience and wondered years ago was I being racist when I called my sons and their playmates of all races monkeys? No one objected then and I certainly did not make that connection. Kids are monkeys, rug rats, yard apes and carpet munchers, along with a dozen other humorous, non-derogatory and yes endearing nicknames. So am I a racist now when I play 'monkey on my back' with my three-year old granddaughter or hold her hands singing "Three Little Monkeys Jumping On A Bed" as she laughs and jumps up and down on her bed? If I ever try to write a story about children climbing in a tree, how do I correctly describe their activities without being called a racist? "The children swung through the trees like a bunch of little penguins." I know it doesn't make much sense but at least then no one should be able to take offense, well except the monkeys and the penguins. But again as Obama has stated they are just words.

    We all sat waiting for the appearance of Obama's friend and business associate, the Syrian borne real estate clown from Chicago, who is now under indictment by the Feds, but he was a no show. Perhaps he was booked somewhere else. It is believed that they will be spending time together again soon, perhaps even before the November election. In wrapping up his final performance under The Big Top Obama, while rubbing shoulders with the Bay area elite insulted religious middle class working people of small town America. Somehow he got away with it too. But I was happy to hear that Obama has added seven, or more, new states to our union when he said that he had campaigned in something like 57 states with a couple of more to go. I am hoping that some of these new states have some large, no, check that, some very, very large oil reserves and that there are no migrating caribous, moose or polar bears prancing around or through them. I am also praying that they are all Red States.

    As I get up to leave The Big Top, Obama is dancing in the center ring while he smiles and waves to the adoring kool-aid drinking masses. The crowd is standing and chanting "Obama, Obama." It was clear now; Barrack Hussein Obama would be the Democratic candidate for President and I thought to myself what a shame. Not for myself but for all Black Americans. In the 145 years since Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Black Americans have waited for this moment. Yet of all the Patriotic, red-blooded Black Americans in our country who are qualified to hold this all-important office of President, somehow the Democratic Party found this junior, inexperienced, first term, Leftist Senator to be The One.
 

    Over and over I have been told that this campaign was not about race. But whom are they kidding? When over ninety percent of the black voters cast their votes for Obama. That is what the Democratic Party is counting on. With his blatant liberal politics, and his inexperience, if Barrack Hussein Obama were not a Black American he would not be a candidate. When mistakes were made, when Obama or others close to him said things that would have ruined anyone else's chances, Obama was repeatedly given a pass by the press and by the people themselves. During his performance even when Obama 'The Juggler' had clumsily dropped all of his batons, the crowds had chanted his name and cheered him on while the media had looked the other way. Mishap and mishap was forgiven and he moved on. Time after time as damning associations with the most unlikely and unsavory individuals who preached hatred and racial separatism were revealed they had all been forgiven and excused. But this was only the primary campaign so the batons that he had been juggling were not even on fire. I wonder what will happen if he is elected so he will then be in the 'hot seat' with the batons fully engulfed in flame and he drops them all again? Will the people still cheer? Will he still be forgiven when the future of our Nation, the futures of all of our children, black and white, have been compromised?

    The most absurd entity about this Obama 'The Healer' fantasy is that we have become a nation where so many people believe that there will always be some one else who will do the work for them. Somebody who will take care of the dirty work, somebody who will take care of our needs or some one who will just make everything all right. This is absurd of course because any healing that is to be done must start and finish with each and every one us. This healing must be on a day to day basis, between you and your neighbor, you and your co-worker and your family and the family down the block. No one person is going to heal this nation. But together we all may have a chance. To believe otherwise is simply a fantasy, escapism in daydreaming that a 'Messiah' is going to come along and make everything all right. It is especially absurd if that 'Messiah' is a politician.

    I looked over to see Hillary fuming and declaring to everyone that she is not through yet, but nobody is listening anymore. Glancing over to the right I saw a calm and determined John McCain, his jaw set, eyes narrowed and focused as he rolls up his sleeves and gets ready to go to work. I head out for the Midway pondering what will happen next?

Thankfully this outrageous and painful Three Ring Circus is over.
 
Now it is on to The Thunderdome where, "Two men enter. One man leaves."

May God be with us all.

Next:

Part Two: The Midway

"Copyright 2008.  Michael E. Tank   All rights reserved. No part of this document may be copied, faxed, electronically transmitted, or in any other manner duplicated without express written permission of the author."