Barack: "My grandmother's the last one left."

[jefferson_dem]

CBS Release on Obama Interview

BARACK OBAMA SAYS HE DOESN'T WANT TO MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE WITH HIS GRANDMOTHER THAT HE MADE WITH HIS DYING MOTHER -

IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ON "THE EARLY SHOW" ON OCT. 23 ON CBS

EARLY SHOW co-anchor Harry Smith conducted an exclusive interview with Sen. Barack Obama earlier today (22) in Richmond, Va. Among other topics, the senator told Smith why it's so important for him to take a break from his campaign to see his grandmother. "My grandmother's the last one left," Obama told Smith. The senator added, "She has really been the rock of the family, the foundation of the family." Obama didn't get to his mother before she died. "Yeah, got there too late," he says. "You know, I mean, it was sort of like this, in the sense that she had a terminal illness. We knew she wasn't doing well, but you know, the diagnosis was such that we thought we had a little more time and we didn't. And so I want to make sure that I don't make the same mistake twice."

http://thepage.time.com/cbs-release-on-obama-interview/

[Kookaburra]

1. Bless him. I feel so sorry for that guy

[The Wielding Truth]

2. My soul is with you now,Barack. You need to be with her..

[jdlh8894]

3. Wasn't he just there @the end of August? eom

[Drunken Irishman]

7. Yes.

[IndyOp]

8. Yes he was just there at the end of August. And now her condition is more grave.

Once she is gone he doesn't have any more chances to visit. I hope he gets to go now and then again in November/December/January.

[justiceischeap]

11. Meaning he shouldn't visit now? Please...

If he didn't go now people would bitch and moan that he didn't visit his dying grandmother, politics be damned.

I only have my parents left and if I were in his position, I'd do the same thing and there's nothing wrong with it. If his taking two days off the campaign at this date affects the vote for him that much then he wouldn't win anyway.

[Bucky]

20. Be gentle. The poster may not know all the facts.

[roguevalley]

41. he needs to go. I have found through hard experience that when they

tell you how much time someone has, cut it in half.

[seabeyond]

35. and he will be with her again towards the end of oct. that is what happens with people you love

[BeyondGeography]

4. A proper goodbye...knew it

Good man.

[crossroads]

5. Sending good vibes to Obama and his grandmother!

[AwakeAtLast]

6. He's really hurting, and add that to the stress of this negative campaign

Oooh, if we could all just give him one of these: :grouphug:

[bushisanidiot]

9. God bless him and his grandmother.

They are both in my prayers.

I've been where he is.. I just missed my mom. I was delivering flowers to her in the hospital and found her not breathing. I was there when my grandma left us 2 years, almost to the day, later.

[Cha]

10. So many of us can relate to that

and tear up when we think about our own..not being able to say goodbye as we would have wished.

[Jennicut]

12. Hang in there Barack.

What a great guy, his Grandma must have meant a lot to him. :hug: Giving Obama a hug.

[Bucky]

19. And hang in there, Madelyn.

[lse7581011]

13. Please Let Her See Him Elected! n/t

[Kajsa]

16. Yes!

My thoughts exactly!

:pals:

[calmblueocean]

30. That's what I'm hoping, too. He's so close. n/t

[H2O Man]

14. Moving.

Thank you for posting this. It reminds us of Obama's humanity. And of our own.

[Kajsa]

15. He needs to be with her now.

That's who he is.

My prayers to Barack, his grandma and his family at this difficult time.

:grouphug:

I've been there a few times, myself.

[sad sally]

17. Go to the "rock of the family" Barack, while she's still alive.

Hug her and even if you think she doesn't know you're there, please remember what you said: "we thought we had a little more time and we didn't." The time is now. We'll still be here for you - our numbers are growing. We know you are the person we need now. Come back after you've said goodbye. We'll be here - waiting...and we understand.

[firedupdem]

18. He's smart....I know the feeling of losing everybody...get there

and say goodbye.

[FirstLight]

21. I have tears running down my face as I write this...

Both elder matriarchs of our family died before I could see them off. I would not be able to handle that if it happened with my mom. My reasons were financial, but Barack doesn't have the same constriants. If I had the means and anyone of that kind of family relationship was in need...I'd be on my jet in a heartbeat. Everyone else ould wait and deal with a pres release until it was over...

This man has HEART...he has ROOTS...a true foundation of family and love and values of humanness that can't be faked.

That's why we love him! :grouphug:

[OneGrassRoot]

34. ...

:grouphug:

[Doremus]

22. Bless his heart and hers. How a man treats his mother (or grandmother) reveals his soul. n/t

[RagAss]

23. Barack...we're all just Consciousness..."she" will be "you" forever ! !

That's not a typo...She will be him always.

[stillcool]

28. how true...

no one ever leaves as long as they live in us. I can't imagine going through that in public though. At least it's close to the end of the campaign.

[shireen]

24. the last time i saw my Grandma ....

As the car pulled away, I kept straining to see her till we turned the corner and she was out of view. i knew i'd never see her again. It hurt so much, She was the most influential person in my life, the best friends I've ever had.

I understand, Barack.

[senseandsensibility]

25. Let's hipe his grandmother recovers and

lives to see Barack inaugurated. I understand where he's coming from, and I'm glad he's going to see her. He's doing the right thing and my prayers are with both of them.

[FourScore]

26. I pray she holds on to see him get elected. n/t

[DearAbby]

27. I understand exactly what he means and feels

I didnt get the chance to say good bye to my father. And it hurts still today. Tend to your family Senator, we have your back.

[Ferret Annica]

29. Here's hoping she hangs on for a while longer

I would love to see her enjoy living into the presidency of the man she helped mold so well.

[chimpymustgo]

32. What a joy that would be. Sending prayers and good vibes.

[graywarrior]

31. Lost both my parents a year apart

Got to say goodbye to mom, but not dad. Being there is so much better for your head and heart.

[Cha]

33. Here's an article from the Honolulu Advertiser

"Obama returns home to visit ailing 'Toot'"

<snip> <snip>

"Things have taken a serious enough turn for Sen. Obama to come home," Abercrombie said. "It's his family. Everyone understands what's going on. The campaign is secondary. The campaign has its own velocity, its own trajectory."

Dunham has already voted for Obama through absentee balloting, "which she was very happy about," Abercrombie said. "She's very, very strong-willed. We have every confidence she's putting up a good struggle. Obviously, we wish Sen. Obama was coming back home under a little bit different circumstance. But any time in Hawai'i will strengthen his resolve."

After her hospitalization, Dunham last week returned to the Beretania Street apartment where she raised Obama."

<more>
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081021/NEWS05/810210360/1001

[black light poster]

36. At Barack's Richmond rally today he honored Toot

in the part of his rally speech where he exhorts young people to study and their parents to make sure they do, such as by turning the tv off and staying after them. I think it's a regular part of his speech, because I feel like I've heard it before, where he pays tributes to parents and grandparents and relatives who do everything they do so that their children can succeed and attain dreams beyond what they themselves can. How those parents and loved ones pour every bit of themselves into their young ones, so that the children can go on to bigger things. How they sacrifice so that a child can aspire to...he lists several things...but ends with "can even run for the United States Senate -- can even run for the Presidency of the United States of America!"

It's a beautiful bit. Again, I think I've heard the words before, but it struck me today that the wording might have been revised a bit to point to his beloved Toot, his last survivng parent or grandparent even more strongly. It sounded that way to me, that she was very, very much on his mind. Like he wanted to honor her even more than normal, and that even while here on the stump in Richmond, he also wanted it to be tomorrow already, and he in Honolulu with her.

I heard all that through loudspeakers, as I was one of the several thousand outside the Richmond Coliseum listening that way and you can only pack 13,000 into the building. But Barack, bless him, came outside first, to greet and speak to the many of us who couldn't fit inside. I thought he probably would, because I never expected to be able to get in. It was such a beautiful day today, the weather was cool but the sun was bright, it would've been a great day for a larger outdoor event, he could've drawn a really big outdoor crowd.

Oh, and hello from Richmond, DUers! I'm only just now getting around to posting but I've lurked and turned here for information for months, so I feel like I already know you even if you haven't known me. If I have anything to say about it we'll hold this lead in Virginia, deliver our state to Barack on Nov. 4, and with Virginia in his column early in the evening hopefully the celebrating can start no later than 11!

[faithfulcitizen]

38. Welcome to DU! Great 1st post. I heard all of that in Indiana too, and it brought tears to my eyes.

[Top Cat]

37. My thoughts are with Barack and his Toots

[jefferson_dem]

39. A short VIDEO snippet here -

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4539895n

[Connonym]

42. the comments on that video are repulsive

I will never be able to have an iota of respect for anyone who votes for McCain not even if they were to go on and invent a cure for cancer.

[jefferson_dem]

43. Sludge has linked to it on his website.

Ergo the hate.

[The River]

40. Good For Him, He'll Never Regret It

I was fortunate enough to visit both parents just hours
before they past. Just last Christmas eve I saw my Mom
for the first time in 2 years. She had been in an uncommunicative
state of dementia for 3. I let her know there was nothing to fear
and that it was OK to let go.
Later that night she did.

[ColbertWatcher]

44. Pics.

[MrsBrady]

45. i was literally on the road, driving like a mad woman to get

to my grandmother in time. wanted to be there for my mom, too so she wouldn't have to be alone in dealing with all that.

missed it by 3 freaking hours. by the time i got in town, mom had just come home from the hospital and they had called the funeral home.

completely sucked either way, but I had wanted to be there.

it's an 8 hour drive and this was back in January.

so - I get it.

[bunkerbuster1]

46. Thoughts and prayers, my friend.

I don't know you, Barack, and I know you're not reading this. But I know how you feel.