Hating Thy Neighbor? Retired Billy Graham Aide Likens Obama To Adolph Hitler

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- An e-mail that is credited to Bill Brown, former president of Graham's ministry, is now being circulated by the Christian right. A copy landed in my mailbox Sunday. It is a bareknuckled attack on Sen. Barack Obama that -- among other criticisms -- compares Obama's talent for oratory to the Nazi tyrant. Yes, the Christian Right has managed to link Obama and Hitler in an attack piece:

"His speeches have inspired millions and yet most of his followers have no idea of what he stands for except platitudes of 'Change' or that he says he will be a 'Uniter'. The power of speech from a charismatic person truly can be a powerful thing. Certainly Billy Graham had charisma and both his manner of speech and particularly the content changed millions.On the extreme other hand, the charisma of Adolph Hitler inspired millions and the results were catastrophic."

Brown does allow that Obama isn't Hitler yet. But why bring up the worst villain of the 20th Century in the context of a U.S. presidential campaign? The Democratic Party is not in jackboots, nor is it clicking its heels Prussian style. Obama's call for change certainly does not echo Mein Kampf, nor has the Illinois senator declared that his followers comprise a superior branch of mankind, a master race. There is no talk of a Final Solution, gas chambers or world domination. Dragging Hitler into the campaign is the worst and lowest kind of politics. It is a nauseous cup laced with e. coli, and cheapens the author, who should wash his hands in Clorox immediately.

Hillary Gets 'F' On Kindergarten Essay: Now Claims It Was Borscht Belt Humor

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The Clinton spinmeisters are out saying their shot at Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for harboring presidential ambitions since kindergarten days was only a joke. Funny, few saw it that way. Mark Penn, a Clinton campaign aide in Iowa, explained:

"The spin machines here are so hyped up that somebody will pick up a joke like that and take it seriously."

There were two Clinton campaign press releases Sunday that attacked Obama and mentioned his kindergarten days. How do you spell p-r-a-t-f-a-l-l?

[UPDATE: 9:31 PM -- I missed this take on the kindergarten scuffle that Psychobilly Democrat posted two nights ago. Redhorse was quickly out of the gate spotting a desperation move that was, well, desperate. He, too, didn't see any stand up comedy in Hillary's routine.]

Cincinnati GOP Press Release On Obama Brings Up The Congo

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The Hamilton County GOP fired off a press release after Illinois Sen. Barack Obama stumped successfully through Ohio. It said the presidential candidate had a slim resume in Congress and his only bill to become law involved "the Democratic Republic of Congo." Was that intended as a veiled reference to Obama's ethnic heritage? Some smelled the odor of a political cheap shot that should have been way beneath the party of Lincoln. There were no details offered about what Obama's bill -- which President Bush signed into law -- actually said.

One purpose of the measure was to increase American pressure on the Congo's government to stop mass rapes of women by soldiers -- an effort that conservatives in the Republican-controlled Capitol of 2006 found worthwhile. Another was to try to stop the use of children as combatants.

Obama, who is running second to Sen. Hillary Clinton in early polls of the Democratic presidential primary field, was in Cincinnati and drew an SRO crowd to a downtown hotel Monday. He reportedly raised nearly $500,000, and the local Republican organization issued a media advisory because "it is important that voters know the truth about Senator Barack Obama." The advisory is still available under the news link on the party's Web site. But who knows for how long?

"He has a thin voting record and he failed to champion anything significant in his two years of experience in the United States Senate. In the 109th Congress, only one of Obama's bills passed the Senate to become law which dealt with security in the Democratic Republic of Congo (S. 2125)."

Once the Congo shot was fired, the party's executive director Maggie Nafziger went on to say the country ''will need a President who is prepared to take a stand on controversial matters. Senator Obama's lack of leadership and liberal voting records is concerning. I am not sure he is prepared to function as head of the world's most powerful nation at such a critical time in our nation's history."

Oh yes, about the Congo.

Republican Sens. Sam Brownback of Kansas, an '08 presidential candidate, and Ohioan Mike DeWine were co-sponsors. DeWine was beaten last November. President Bush affixed his signature on Dec. 22, 2006, and the details are HERE.