Update from Seoul, reaction to Obama Win in Mississippi

The stuff my camera has seen in the past week... I couldn’t begin to describe. Annabel and I have been in Tokyo and Seoul to meet with progressives, politicians, and activists about next steps for "Comfort Women" truth and reconciliation. The best part of today was spending quality time with Lee Young Soo, a survivor of a "Comfort Station" set up in Taiwan, and the most wonderful person on earth. You can see her in this video, but she is not the regal pillar of strength that she appeared to be at our White House protest. She is a warm, joyful, spunky lady, 79 years old, but so full of life and energy. Lee Halmoni spoke at a Congressional Hearing early in 2007 in Washington DC. Annabel, who was in the audience, became inspired to lead the national movement that led to a historic breakthrough just six months later. We are producing a documentary on the subject, which I hope will do justice to it. Annabel and I have worked with and hung out with (even karaoked with) Lee Halmoni in DC, LA, and San Fran. But today, we met a survivor for the first time. Kim Koon Ja also testified that fateful day in Washington. She is the person that Karin Anna Cheung gave voice to in our first 121 Coalition video. Koon Ja normally lives with other survivors in Seoul at The House of Sharing. But right now she is in a rehab hospital in a suburb of Seoul because of a broken hip. We had a lovely visit with her. Annabel presented her with an American flag, one of three that was flown over the US Capitol on the day that House Resolution 121 was passed. I’ll post video soon. Like Lee Young Soo, Koon Ja is a warm and loving woman, the kind of grandmother we all love dearly, especially those of us with Asian grandmothers.... Anyway, we attended the weekly protest in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. I’m proud to say I made the sign that all the reporters snapped photos of. Lee Halmoni held it, and it read: "Thank you USA for H. Res 121, A Step Toward Peace and Reconciliation." Then, Annabel did a press conference. Then, she gave a lecture at a university. Then, we went out to dinner. Then, I passed out during the car ride back to our hotel. Luckily I wasn’t driving.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama was winning the Mississippi primary. I’m really concerned that the Clinton camp has resorted to stirring up racial division in an attempt to turn white voters (and others susceptible to prejudice) against Obama. This latest Ferror ofiasco is only one of many attempts to dismiss Obama’s global appeal as some form of affirmative action. Every time Obama wins a state with some African Americans in it, we get the statistical analysis breaking down voting patterns by race. At least the media doesn’t bother us with such breakdowns when Obama wins a state like Iowa or Wyoming. "He’s only winning because he’s Black" is obviously a Clinton campaign talking point, only some are better at finessing it than others. I’ve been working on a new column for our blog on AsianWeek that will try to address some of this. Here are some preliminary thoughts:

Why Does The Clinton Campaign Sound Like A Republican Campaign???

In 1996, Bill Clinton won reelection to the White House without resorting to the types of tactics his wife’s campaign is employing now. With a booming economy and American prestige soaring around the world, Clinton’s campaign required little more than a turn a of phrase on challenger Bob Dole’s unfortunate platform. The 68-year-old Senator said his plan was to build a bridge to the past. Clinton offered a bridge to the future and that was that. In 2008, the Clinton dynasty has become the establishment, and a candidate in Barack Obama could effectively use the same "bridge" analogy if he didn’t have several even more convincing arguments. So how has it come to pass that the Clintons are resorting to "Republican" tactics made famous by George Bush and Karl Rove? The answer is simple. For the first time in their careers, the Clintons finds themselves in the disadvantaged position that Republican candidates so predictably endeavor to smokescreen: they have a weaker candidate, weaker arguments, and a less realistic vision than their Democratic opponent.

Why Do Some Washington and Democratic Party Insiders STILL Support Hillary?

Bill Clinton left office 8 years ago with a promise that he would return, and all those who demonstrated continued loyalty would be rewarded with high paying jobs that would set them up for career advancement in the private sector. Some have maintained such loyalty simply to keep their word. While others, in particular those who rested a little too much on their laurels during the lost years of the Bush Administration, find themselves painted into a Clinton corner, unable to reassess the choice we face as an electorate because they have too much at stake in seeing the old guard return. Meanwhile, policy experts and Washington insiders who have remained neutral or endorsed Obama are the types whose accomplishments and credentials are enough to recommend them for jobs or appointments under any Democratic administration.