Why Obama Will Lose

When Howard Wolfson analyzes the ruins of the McCain train wreck, it should be noted that the train has not in fact, crashed... yet.

Wolfson would love to be the biographer of the failed opposition, and in three weeks he will have that privilege, because in fact, he has attacked both McCain and Obama, and one of them will lose on November 4. (As a Hillarian, Wolfson considers both of these men the opposition.)

But Wolfson neglects the possibility that Obama could still lose this race, just as he kept losing big-state primaries this spring. Here are the reasons Obama will lose on November 4:

10) Iran, Iraq, Israel, and al-Qaeda

Barack Obama was wrong about Iraq and the surge, and the strange comment about Iran being a "tiny country" that doesn't present a threat to us should have awakened public caution about the Big O. Obama's back-door negotiations with the government of Iraq should make us all shudder, his stated commitment to Israel is not believable, and Iran's fast-track pursuit of nuclear weapons make it the centerpiece of trouble for the next several years. If al-Qaeda should strike, if Israel should pre-emptively strike Iran, or if there are other statements by Obama that departure should predate victory in Iraq, the election could yet hang in the balance.

9) The Money Trail

It's late in the campaign - probably too late; but there is still time for someone to put out the word that the most expensive campaign in American political history is laced with foreign and improperly-disclosed cash, possibly more than $200 million of it. While McCain has published his donor list online, large and small, Obama has not told the public about numerous small donations that have been raised through PayPal and other online sources. If the amount is less than $200, he doesn't legally have to; but this is a loophole the campaign has driven a train through. Other limits, such as the $2300 and $4600 personal contribution limits, have not been handled correctly. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has been involved in rooting through some of this, but not much, and not out loud. Someone should draw some attention to the irregularities.

8) Several Major Scandals

The public has no idea who Tony Rezko is or what he is whispering to federal prosecutors. The public has no idea why ACORN is being investigated in 11 states, or deep connections to Obama going back over 15 years (or this year when the Obama campaign paid them almost $900,000.) Bill Ayers and the Reverend Jeremiah Wright know Obama very well, but the public doesn't know just how well. How does a Kenyan named Odinga have anything to do with Obama, and what happened when Jerome Corsi went to Kenya to publicize his anti-Obama book? Which New Englander is the biggest supporter of Iran in the U.S. Senate?

7) His Name Is Barack Hussein Obama (And He's Black)

Or, "he's half-white, 25 percent black, and 25 percent Arab," or some crazy concoction. The folks are always hearing something different; he's Muslim, he's Christian, he's an ex-Muslim, he praises Muslims, he's with the Black Separatists, he's not really a U.S. citizen, he was born in Kenya, he's supporting this radical Muslim (Odinga) over there, his brother George is in Kenya living on $1 a month, and so forth.

Seven years after 9/11, the folks are a little bit worried about a Muslim-named man seeking high office, tight-lipped about his own background, especially if he is a little bit uncertain about American themes like strong military, American work ethic, opportunity, ownership, and energy independence.

6) No Respect For The Common Man

In the Obamasphere, average white guys are abnormal cavemen types, chanting incoherently while offering sacrifices to their cloud gods and spending huge chunks of disposable income on firearms, hunting dogs, and taxidermy. Did Obama have much chance with the white male vote in the beginning? We don't know; but how badly can he do with this demographic and still win on November 4?

5) Blew Off Hillary

Obama did a bang-up job of clobbering Hillary Clinton by focusing early campaign dollars on states with caucuses. Hillary nearly caught up by winning big states and bribing superdelegates, but couldn't get Florida and Michigan seated; also the winner-take-all rule which would have won the contest clearly for Hillary was absent. Obama could have redeemed himself at great personal expense by bringing in Hillary as VP; failing to do this cost him votes in the Hillary faction.

4) Who The Heck Is Joe Biden?

Yes, Joe Biden has been sitting in the Senate since he was 30 - you have to be 30 to be a Senator. He's 65 now; what has he done, other than plagiarize speeches and be 180-degrees-wrong on almost every foreign policy for 35 years?

3) Hope & Change: Work With Crazies & Hope They Change

Obama's associations with ACORN, Ayers, Dorhn, Rezko, and Wright are long and deep; they are the foundation of his political and financial power. Up until now, the playbook has determined he should renounce the deed and not the person until the pressure builds, then throw them under the bus. It's getting mighty crowded under Obama's bus.

2) Obama Is A Marxist

What we do know about this guy is, he is hell-bent on taking money from the rich, regardless whether it helps the national bottom line or not. "Fairness," is all we get out of the guy. Fairness my butt. The only difference between Karl Marx and Obama is, Marx wasn't actually mad at rich people for being rich.

1) We Have No Idea Who This Guy Is

Obama has the lightest, thinnest resume on file in a century. The Presidential resume reassures the folks. We need to see who the guy is and develop a picture in our heads as to what he can do for the country. McCain has a big, thick resume that tells us he's a stable guy and he does what he says he'll do. Obama wrote two autobiographies and we still don't know who he is.