Moonwalking Down Memory Lane

I planned to leave up the 45th Anniversary honor to the March on Washington all weekend. But then Sen. John McCain made his gangsta move Friday morning and changed my entire game plan.

Now I've decided to take a little break from poli-tricks to say Happy 50th Birthday to Michael Jackson, the original King of Pop. Yep, Michael hit the big 5-0.

Let's put aside, for the moment, Michael's penchant for plastic surgery, animals and children. Instead, I would like to remember happier days with Michael (like when he was still black).

My memory begins with the all-time favorite album, Off the Wall.

My lil boyfriend at the time (all we did was talk on the phone cuz my parents wouldn't allow me to do anything else) used to sing She's Out of My Life every time we broke up (which was like every other day).

I love every song on this album - Got Me Working Day and Night, Girlfriend, Get On the Floor, Rock With You, etc. I probably wore that this record out because I played it so much on the record player (again, no jokes please).

Then there was Michael's fashion sense, which set trends world-wide. From the red jacket with chains and crap to wearing one glove, which drove my mother crazy. That, of course, has to be the reason I did it because there was nothing cute about the one-glove craze.

And we simply CAN NOT ignore this man's dancing. Michael had some moves for ya, that everybody tried to copy.

There was Thriller, Billie Jean, Beat It.

No question about it, Michael had talent.

Michael, you make 50 look... Well, that's another story. Happy Birthday anyway!

What's your favorite Michael Jackson memory?

McCain chooses a woman

Sen. Barack Obama has barely left the stage after his history-making acceptance speech, as John McCain is set to make a historic announcement himself.
McCain has chosen former beauty queen and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.

From a man known as a male chauvenist, this is a surprising turn of events. But hey, McCain plans to go toe-to-toe with Obama, and what better way than to pick a woman.

Especially in light of all those "feminists" still reeling over the Hillary Clinton snub.

Wowzers, just wowzers.

Here's a bio about her. More details to come after McCain's 1 p.m. announcement.

Forty-five years ago Martin Luther King delivered his famous “I Have A Dream” speech at the March on Washington.

In it, King wasn’t talking about a “post-racial” society, but a society in which color would be recognized as an asset and not a burden. King’s thinking, according to Peniel Joseph, a professor of history and African American studies at Brandeis University, was that racial equality and democracy were intertwined.

In other words, you can not have one without the other.

With Sen. Barack Obama’s run for the presidency, the possibilities of every child born and yet to be born, has been raised. The possibility of being whatever one wants, for many, is made more real.

Mirroring his campaign in recent months, little has been said about the historic nature of Obama’s campaign as it relates to race during this week’s Democratic National Convention in Colorado.

Unfortunately we have yet to reach the point where Sen. Obama can discuss race and racial issues without risk.

But the intent of tonight’s speech, I hope, will give honor to that history. For King’s vision was an original blueprint for what we’re now witnessing.

When I was younger, my father would gather me and my sisters around the record player (no cracks about my age) and we would listen to King’s “I Have A Dream Speech.” My Dad even made us write down the words.

King’s dream was my Dad’s dream for his daughters, and it became my dream. Now it is my dream for my three-year-old nephew.

Happy 45th Anniversary to each and every one of you, be you white, Hispanic, black, brown or other. Be you a woman, child or man. Be you American, Iraqi, European, African or other.

My gift to you is below. All I ask in return is that you listen and dare to have a dream of your own.

Historic Pick!

Now that Barack Obama has officially made history, what does it mean if he wins or loses in November?

If Obama wins, does that mean America has truly transcended race and that racism is dead or dying in this country?

If Obama loses, will it be because of his race or because he didn't sufficiently make his case?

'Uncommon Grace'

Had it been based on a popular vote, Hillary Clinton would have had the Democratic nomination.

But, elections aren’t won according to popular vote counts, and Hillary Clinton lost. Based on tonight’s reception of the junior senator from NY at the Democratic National Convention, however, one would have thought she’d won.

Love her or hate her, Hillary Clinton can not be denied due respect.

In one of the most important speeches of the convention, Hillary had to take the first step in unifying the Democratic Party. Her husband, Bill Clinton who sat in tears listening to his wife’s speech, will take the next few steps tomorrow. It will be left to Sen. Barack Obama to do the rest on Thursday.

But tonight belongs to Hillary.

How many women, how many people period, could fight as hard as she fought for the Democratic nomination only to lose based on party rules, and then come out as strong as she did Tuesday night for the same party that issued the denial?

Hillary did it.

“The time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose,” Hillary said. “…Were you involved in this campaign just for me? …Or were you in it for all the people in this country who feel invisible?”

She didn’t sound like a loser tonight. If you ask me, Hillary actually sounded pretty presidential.

“No way, no how, no McCain,” Hillary said. “Barack Obama is my candidate, and he must be our president.”

“A fighter of uncommon grace,” Clinton said f Ohio Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones who unexpectedly died last week. But when I looked at Hillary tonight, she just as easily could have been describing herself.

So did Hillary deliver for Barack Obama tonight?

You tell me.

On Cindy, Michelle, and what it means to be a first-rate lady

As I watched the Democratic National Convention I sat transfixed by Michelle Obama's speech.

She stood their beautifully black and real.

Gone were the pieces of paper she's stiltedly read from over recent weeks. Back came the Michelle Obama we first met when Barack Obama initially announced his candidacy.

I won't spend much time talking about what she said tonight. You can go to www.cnnpolitics.com to read a transcript of Michelle's speech.

I want to discuss Michelle Obama, Cindy McCain and what it means to be a lady.

Comparing Cindy and Michelle may not be fair, especially since Michelle had her night and Cindy hasn't. But what we know so far about the women offers a striking contrast between the two.

As Michelle so eloquently put it, she's a girl from the south side of Chicago. Born to parents who had to scrimp and save and poured all that they had into their children. Michelle lavished praise on her brother, Craig Robinson, who lovingly introduced his sister to the cameras. She called him the man she's always looked up to.

Most importantly Michelle reminded America of being of service to our communities, our children, and to our world.

This woman came off as poised, personable and purposeful. I don't mean purposeful in terms of slick marketing to sell her husband. Sure she had a job to do in terms of letting people know about Barack Obama the man, but she went beyond that.

Michelle even reached out to Hillary Clinton, something the Democratic base - read most African Americans - haven't done yet. Something the Democratic base - read most African Americans - will have to do if they want to win in November.

"You treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don't know them and even if you don't agree with them," Michelle Obama said during her speech before the Democratic National Convention Monday night in Colorado.

Cindy McCain came from a monied father who made his cash selling beer. He left one wife and child to marry Cindy's mom. Cindy has repeatedly said publicly that she is an only child. Only that isn't, technically, true.

Angered that her sister would rather pretend she doesn't exist than acknowledge her in the slightest way, Kathleen Hensley Portalski came forward last week to National Public Radio to say that she and her sister haven't been close in years.

Not being close is an understatement.

Cindy McCain doesn't speak to her sister. Further, Cindy (who is a billionaire) essentially gave Kathleen $10,000 and a kiss goodbye after their father died.

So much for service.

Kathleen's husband is a firefighter and a emergency medical technician who is looking for work.

He wasn't quoted, but I wonder what his response was to John McCain's claim that our economy is strong. Or what he thought about one of McCain's adviser's comments that America is full of whiners.

Anyhoo... back to what it means to be a lady.

Now I'm not saying Cindy McCain isn't a nice person or that she isn't compassionate. She very well may be. Perhaps we will get to see that side of her next week during the Republican National Convention.

I will say that the pressure is definitely on Cindy to show us a more lady-like side based on Michelle's performance tonight.

Police disrupt possible Obama assassination attempt in Colorado

The man hasn't even arrived in Colorado yet. Police to hold press conference Tuesday. More details to follow:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/25/obama-assassination-plot_n_121293.html