Obama and everyone that speaks for him - dodges the question, changes the subject and refuses to answer. They just keep repeating – as if it has any relevance at all to the question - that he was 8 years old when Ayers actions took place; that he denounced Ayers; that all the voters want to hear about is the economy, and that McCain is making Ayers an issue because he is out of ideas and out of time. Just answer the question: What did you know about Ayers and when did you know it? The failure to answer the question is an admission that the answer is bad for Obama and is an attempt to conceal. The issue is not associating with Ayers anymore. The issue is now about Obama lying about the extent of the relationship and concealing what he knew about Ayers. This goes to the character of Obama. Is he a liar?

It is less than a month before the 2008 election and most voters do not really know Barack Obama. They know this image as a charismatic speaker and they know he says he is going to “change” America and the world. He says he is a difference kind of politician we can believe in.

Obama identifies all the ills of America – lost jobs, high prices, stagnant wages, cost of college, foreclosures, the financial crisis, the need to get off foreign oil, clean up the environment, the inner cities, education, healthcare, our image to the world, hot spots and war, etc. No one questions that he knows how to point the finger and wag it with the best of them. And no one doubts that pointing the finger and identifying the problems obvious to most Americans is effective politics. He plays to the problems most Americans relate to – the blue collar kitchen table issues. Then straight out of the play book he then directs people’s angst towards the Republicans, Bush and McCain in his we versus them class warfare.

All of this is good and well. Hope in desperate times is an elixir. It is a tried and true strategy to tout “change” when things aren’t going good for the people. We American relish in the belief that anyone has come has come to save the day. We want heroes – Paul Bunyan, Davey Crockett, Alvin York, Audie Murphy, and the like - the cavalry charging in with bugles blasting to save us from the Indians at the last minute - our Sir Lancelot on his white horse.

But, it is time to take a closer look at Obama. Can he actually deliver? Does he have the metal- the character?

The character of the candidate is the most important thing to consider in picking a president. Character is who the candidate is more than anything he says or promises or how well he says it. Abraham Lincoln once said, "Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” Character is the stake not the sizzle. Character is what you are.

Character is by far a most important qualification for office - certainly more important than the issues. Character is the rudder that guides the boat and the issues the passengers. The passengers will unlikely get to the destination if there is no rudder to steer the boat.

If one spotlights Obama’s character, Obama retorts “the people want to hear the issues.” He avoids character because it is his weak spot. It is a basic of politics to change the issue when the issue id not good for you. The Obama campaign knows that when character becomes the issue, Obama looses.

He does not want to talk about Ayers, Wright, Obingo, Rezko – his judgment about these relations. He doesn’t want to talk about taking money from Rezko while he disregarded complaints from his constituent about no heat in the dead of Chicago winter. He does not want to talk about his misstatements about Kennedy airlifting him to America, his missing college years. How he got in Harvard and who got him in. He doesn’t want to talk about the fact that he was never a law professor.

Obama doesn’t what talk about a lot of things which would show who is and who he is – his character – really matters. He is the shadow, not the tree. He is the sizzle, not the stake. He is the boat without the rudder.

There's mounting evidence that at least some of Obama's faithful intend to see a black American president sworn in next year -- no matter what it takes.

Earlier this month, popular black author and talk-show host Tavis Smiley disclosed death threats he'd received from those accusing him of blasphemy against their black prophet. Then, at Saturday's Smiley-hosted State of the Black Union forum, Congressional Black Caucus member Stephanie Tubbs Jones lent credence to Smiley's claim by suggesting that many black elected officials not swearing allegiance to Obama have also been the target of violent threats.

While widely ignored by the mainstream media, the implications here are nothing short of momentous. The very prospect of physical intimidation as a means of garnering political compliance from Americans awakens frightening images of the thuggish antics of one William M "Boss" Tweed in mid-nineteenth century New York. Having survived the 2000 election debacle without even the threat of bloodshed, would some now have us back on the road to the iniquitous days of Tammany Hall? Not surprisingly, no one in the black community has come forward with specific complaints. But here's what we do know.

For nine years running, Smiley has hosted the annual symposium of black college professors, politicians, activists, and entertainers during Black History Month discussing matters of concern to those whose heritage the month honors. This year, Barack Obama declined an invitation -- accepted by Clinton -- to address the panel of black dignitaries in New Orleans. The Illinois senator and presidential hopeful's unexpected rejection prompted a disappointed Smiley to blast the decision as a "major mistake," and that's when the trouble allegedly began. The perceived racial apostasy apparently sparked not only thousands of angry emails labeling Smiley as a "hater, sellout and traitor," but also the relentless harassment of his entire family. And, while he has yet to elaborate, Smiley has also mentioned the matter of death threats - levied for the mere suggestion that the mighty Obama had somehow erred.

  Is the Chicago way the American Way? (Revisited)

Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones had courage and conviction in her beliefs and fought for them till her death. It is a sad day in American when she was threatened before her death because of one of her beliefs - her belief in Hillary Clinton. She took the Obama threats very seriously and even had to increased her security for her protection from physical harm.. According to Susan Estrich:

“It should not have taken courage for Stephanie to support Hillary. She knew her and respected her. But it did, more than most people realize. During the campaign, I heard from friends that Tubbs Jones and Sheila Jackson-Lee, another prominent African-American Hillary supporter, were being attacked, viciously, within the black community for not supporting Barack Obama, that there was talk of their being "traitors," of primary opponents, personal threats serious enough to require additional security. I would have written about it, but my friends asked me not to, fearing it would only make people angrier and lead to more threats.”

It is appalling that her unfortunate death took place under threats from Obama or his surrogates. As disgraceful as the physical threats upon her by Obama surrogates were - she was not alone. Congresswoman Diane Watson (D-CA) was also threatened. I am sure there were a lot more.

In fact, more generally threats were made in a very public manner. Donna Brazille threaten to leave the Democratic party, Al Sharpton threatened marches, Congressman Jim Clyburn (D-CS) threatened "irreparable harm" to the Democratic Party, Color of Change - boasting 400,00 members made threats. All these threats were made to assure Obama got the Democratic Party nomination. All of these threats were made openly and publically.

Recently, Missouri Governor Matt Blunt said  Senator Claire McCaskill, Missouri prosecutors and sheriffs ‘have attached the stench of police state tactics to the Obama-Biden campaign.’ Governor Blunt also added, ‘Enlisting Missouri law enforcement to intimidate people and kill free debate is reminiscent of the Sedition Acts - not a free society.

In addition, Obama has worked for, represented, got money for, and even trained ACORN members in militant direct action tactic. Members of ACORN have been indicted for voter fraud and numerous other voter related crimes. Shawn used acts of intimidation to compel banks to make loans to blacks for and more recently paid ACORN to recruit voters. Despite the use of Intimidation as a method of persuasion, or because of it, Obama, hired ACORN to register voters and work for his campaign.

Obama said nothing. Indeed, he relished in the threats and continues various acts of intimidation.  They were the hardball way he learned so well. Obama supported, ratified, condoned, approved and/or inspire all these threats to get his way and nothing is really said.