Obama's Language Games

"...I have been very clear in my denunciation of Minister Farrakhan's anti-Semitic comments...I did not solicit his support...it is not support I sought.  And we're not doing anything, I assure you, formally or informally with Minister Farrakhan."

"Well, Tim, you know, I can't say to somebody that he can't say that he thinks I'm a good guy. (Laughter)  You know, I - you know I - I have been very clear in my denunciations of him and his past statements, and I think that indicates to the American people what my stance is on those comments."

"When I was a state senator in Illinois, I voted to require that Illegal aliens get trained, get a license..."

"...I have to make sure that people understand the problem we have here is not driver's licenses.  Undocumented workers don't come here to drive. (Laughter) they don't go - they're not coming here to go to the In-N-Out Burger. That's not the reason they're here.  They're here to work. And so instead of being distracted by what has now become a wedge issue, let's focus on actually solving the problem that...(Blitzer cut him off here, but Obama continued)...this administration, the Bush administration, has done nothing about."

"I am not proposing that that's what we do. What I'm saying is that we can't - (interrupted by laughter). No, no, no, no, look, I have already said I support the notion that we have to deal with public safety and that driver's licenses at the state level can make that happen. But what I also...(an impatient Blitzer interrupted him)

"I think the reparation we need right here in South Carolina is investment, for example in our schools.  I did a town hall meeting in Florence, South Carolina, in an area called the corridor of shame.  They've got buildings that students are trying to learn in that were built right after the Civil War. And we've got teachers who are not trained to teach the subjects they're teaching and high dropout rates.  We've got to understand that there are corridors of shame all across the country.  And if we make the investments and understand that those are our children, that's the kind of reparation that are really going to make a difference in America right now.

"Asked in Moline about a controversial demand by some blacks for reparations for slavery, Obama spoke about how slavery had left a stain on the country that has yet to be eradicated.  Still, he said, he opposed ‘just signing checks over to African-Americans'."

"The legacy of slavery is immeasurable, but the best strategies for moving forward would be vigorously enforcing our anti-discrimination laws in education and job training."

"And that [his K-12 education plan] would all cost about $18 billion a year -- a significant increase in federal funding, focused on schools all across the country, but with a great emphasis on poor urban and rural school districts that really need resources."

"This book is about the great still-unfolding massive crime of official and unofficial America against Africa, African slaves, and their descents in America." p. 8

"Whether the monetary obligation is legally enforceable or not, a large debt is owed by America to the descents of America's slaves."  p. 231

"It is obvious that in any effort to balance America's racial scales, education, defined in the broadest sense, must be assigned the very highest priority.  Sadly, the very idea of public education, perhaps the most important load-bearing pillar of our society's future, has been under assault for decades.  Even the segregated schools of my Richmond, Virginia childhood were safer and had healthier academic environments than many public schools operating today -- particularly those in deteriorating urban centers where public school populations were made up increasingly of children who are both black and poor." p. 79

"To do what is necessary, of course, will require a virtual Marshall Plan of federal resources, far in excess of anything contemplated between the nearly touching poles of conventional palliatives." p. 107

"I believe that such a trust would have to be funded for at least two successive K-through-college educational generations, perhaps longer.  Among other programs funded from the trust would be special K-12 schools through the United States with residential facilities for those black children who are found to be at risk in unhealthy family and neighborhood environments.  The curricula for these schools would be rigorous...the schools would emphasize the diverse histories and cultures of the black world.  For blacks who remained in the public schools, much the same would be provided by special-purpose schools funded to supplement public-school offerings in a fashion not dissimilar to the role performed by weekend Hebrew schools for the Jewish community. All fees for these schools would be fully funded from the trust.   Further, all blacks who qualified academically and were found to be in financial need would be entitled to attend college free of charge."  p. 245