Posted by
Mike Bates on Friday, January 02, 2009 3:28:31 PM
There's just so much hope and change already taking place in America
that it's hard to keep up. The mainstream media is doing an exemplary
job of keeping us up to date with news that really matters, such as
articles like the Associated Press's "
Web site lets women register their inaugural dress" and
"Hairdressers Want Chance to Style First Lady." Then there are the penetrating analyses like
"Americans rush plans for Obama inauguration,"
which quoted a 97-year-old woman who had never voted or witnessed a
presidential inauguration, despite living just three miles from
Washington, because "I knew white people had the right of way here, you
know."
In the sheer exhilaration of the impending Age of Obama, it's
understandable that some stories are overlooked. One that might not be
considered newsworthy is the fact that last year homicides in Barack
Obama's hometown of Chicago substantially exceeded the number of deaths
of U.S. soldiers in Iraq. As the AP itself reported:
According to a tally by The Associated Press, at least
314 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq in 2008, down from 904 in the previous
year.
And the Chicago Tribune reported today:
Chicago closed out the year with 509 homicides, an increase of about 15 percent over 2007. . .
Obama, of course, has characterized U.S. involvement in Iraq as a
"complete failure" and advocates the withdrawal of our military. If
Iraq's a total failure, how does Obama view what's taking place in his
own hometown? Should America stop sending millions, possibly billions,
of dollars in assistance to what is obviously a losing effort? It'd be
a good question for the mainstream media to pose. If, of course, they
could get over those pictures of Barry with his shirt off.