Below A Press Release issuedto the Point yesterday, stated that U.S. Democratic Presidential Candidate’s campaign strategist is expected to visit The Gambia from 13th– 16thof October 2008.Full text of the Press Release.

The U.S. Embassy is proud to announce the Official Visit of Sky Gallegos, Deputy CEO for Intergovernmental Affairs for the Democratic National Convention who is a member of the US Department of State Speakers Program. With the upcoming historic elections set for November 4, 2008, the U.S. Embassy is highlighting the democratic process of elections in the U.S. by inviting this speaker to The Gambia. Ms Gallegos will be speaking at the Kairaba Hotel on October 14thfrom 10 – 12pm and 2-4pm.

Sky Gallegos most recently served as the Deputy CEO for Intergovernmental Affairs for the Democratic National Convention in Denver. She worked directly for the Democratic National Convention Committee, which is the committee charged with the planning and production of the National Convention in Denver. She is the liaison to all of the elected officials, party officers and distinguished members of the Democratic family that will attend the Convention this August.

Sky’s work with state and local elected official’s spans the last 15 years and includes senior positions in government, corporate, non-profit and campaign arenas. During the Clinton Administration, Sky worked directly with the nation’s state and local elected officials while she served in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs in the White House, the U.S. Justice Department and the Democratic National Committee. Most recently, Sky was a partner with Hilltop Public Solutions, a public affairs, strategic communications and campaign consulting firm based in WashingtonDC.

An experienced campaign veteran, Sky worked in the last three presidential campaign cycles in off year and mid-term elections in targeted states for the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. In 2003 Sky was the National Political Director for the awards for President Campaign. In the general election Sky was the California State Director for Kerry/Edwards ’04 where she garnered an 11 point victory.

In the 2000 Presidential election, Sky directed the western regional political effort for Vice President A1 Gore for three years.As Western Political Director, she developed and implemented the political strategy for 12 western states including the successful campaigns in California, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico and Hawaii. Prior to the campaign, Sky was the Western Political Director for Vice President Gore’s political action committee, Leadership ’98 and in 1996, Sky was the Deputy Political Director for the California Clinton/Gore Campaign.

Sky also has experience building and managing coalitions between the public and private sectors to effect legislation. Sky helped start and then managed EdVoice, a political advocacy organization for public school reform in California. As Chief Operating Officer and Political Director, Sky worked with the CEO to build a Board of Directors and Advisory Board which business, education, political and community leaders from across the state. Sky also developed a program to build a grassroots membership; worked with an internet design team to create an interactive Webster; built and managed a political action committee; and retained and managed a public relations team to produce an earned media and outreach program. In its first two years, EdVoice had a 99% success rate with the Legislation it introduced.

Sky received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from StanfordUniversity. She is a native of and resides in Denver, Colorado.

Barrack Obama has accepted the Democratic nomination to run for President of the United States of America and done so with a message of hope. This is indeed an historic time and we pray that the people of the US will grasp with both hands this opportunity to bring lasting change to their nation and the world. Obama has promised that in the election campaign itself he will try to rise above the old partisan politics which have defined so many American elections. It is difficult to see how he will carry this promise entirely but at least he is openly accepting that this type of politics belongs in the past.

The extent to which Obama understands the problems facing America was clear from his speech. He said, “tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can’t afford to drive, credit card bills you can’t afford to pay, and tuition that’s beyond your reach. These challenges are not all of government’s making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W Bush.” This statement must be accepted by all Americans in the run up to the election so that new administration can bring their message of hope and begin to undo the damage of the last eight years.

And there has been great damage. Internationally the United States is discredited and reviled for their invasion of Iraq and use of torture in that nation, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. It will take a long time to address this issue but it will only begin to be addressed if Barrack Obama is elected on November 4th. We are at a crossroads in history and pray that the American people will make the right decision on that day. The security of the world is depending on them.

“Politics is the art of human happiness.”

H.A.L. Fisher

It was with great joy that we received the news that Barrack Obama will be the Democratic presidential candidate in the forthcoming election. The battle for the nomination has been long and hard fought but the real battle is still to come. It has surprised and delighted many people that the Democratic party has the maturity to select an African American as their candidate. Unfortunately there are still many who question whether Americans in general are ready to vote an African American into the most powerful position in the world. We must remember that up until 1965 when the Civil Rights Act was introduced in America, Barrack Obama would have essentially been a second class citizen. While there have been great strides made in the US since that time, many African Americans remain severely disadvantaged and are subject to racist abuses and attacks. For this reason many fear that Obama’s chances of winning may be in jeopardy.

In the selection race Obama failed to poll well with white working class voters. This is something he must seriously address ahead of the November election. What he must also do is reunite the party after what was quite a divisive campaign. The selection of Hillary Clinton as his running mate might achieve these goals. He has already hinted that he may, saying: “What gets Hillary Clinton up in the morning is an unyielding desire to improve the lives of ordinary Americans.”

It is these so-called “ordinary Americans” that Barrack Obama must now begin to woo. He will face an uphill struggle. There are still many ignorant people who hold racist ideologies and they will be determined to prevent Obama from being elected. For the wider world we hope that the American people have the strength and courage to vote for real change including change on the foreign policy front. The last eight years have been disastrous for America’s image abroad and Barrack Obama in the White House could do a lot to change that.

Now that we have expressed our delight at his historic selection let us forget about the colour of Barrack Obama’s skin. The issue of race must be taken out of the contest because it does not relate to policy. Americans must show that it is policy on which they select their leader and not something as irrelevant as skin colour. There is little doubt that elements within the Republican Party will attempt to raise the issue of race and play on people’s racist tendencies. This must be exposed and crushed as soon as it surfaces.

We look forward to November and wait with great interest to see just how far the United States has come since 1965.

“I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians

Charles DE GAULLE

Following the epoch-making nomination yesterday of Mr Barrack Obama ahead of former First Lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton, as Presidential candidate for the Democratic Party in the United States, this paper spoke to various political functionaries in The Gambia with a view to sounding their views on the development.

Ousainou Darboe-Really it is history in the making. In the sense that he is the first time an Afro-American is being nominated as a presidential candidate.

The history would be completed if he is elected as the first Black President. It will also mean the first black First Lady in the White House.

Fifteen to twenty years ago, nobody would have thought of it. It is a far cry from when Jesse Jackson tried to be President of United States.

This indicates that Americans now think of themselves as the same Americans, a history that should be followed even in Africa. That I belong to this tribe or that is irrelevant. We should look at ourselves as people belonging to one nation and be proud to pronounce our nationality.

And to Mr. Obama, I would advise him to follow the agenda and policy that he had presented to the people until he is nominated if he becomes president.

Fatoumata Jahumpa-Ceesay - This is unprecedented in the history of the United States of America for an Afro-American to be nominated to run as a presidential candidate.

As at now, what both Hillary and Obama should do is to come together and work not only in the interest of the Democratic party, but also for the entire Americans.

Hillary Clinton should definitely be congratulated for her courage and enthusiasm as a woman for taking the stand to contest in the presidential nominations.

I believe both of them have very good and sound policies that they presented to the Americans in the run up to the upcoming elections. But all the same, I would like to call on Hillary Clinton to fully rally behind Barrack Obama and give him all the necessary support.

It should not be seen as a gender issue but as part of a democratic process. This is all about democracy.

We are all praying for Barrack Obama to win the presidential election come November. The dream ticket should now become a reality. Let them all work together.

Henry Gomez - It is time now for the whole world to believe that there is God. Nothing is impossible. The Americans with their history have never dreamed that of an Afro-American not to talk about an Afro-African to stand in their country as a presidential candidate. It is a happy moment for the Africans all over. For that we have to be happy and then give thanks to God for making this possible. I am appealing to all politicians in the world to know that it is God who chooses leaders at his own time and day. I am congratulating Barrack Obama and wishing him good luck in the presidential election in November. For Hillary, I am also giving her courage not to give up, as her own time will come. Impossible is nothing.

HALIFA -In my view, Obama’s nomination is just like Mandela’s election and is a memorable event. But we must bear in mind that such events by themselves are not necessarily historic.

What will make Obama’s nomination historic is the type of campaign he will launch and the type of policies and programmes his cabinet will put in place and implement if they were given the opportunity to manage the affairs of the United States.

From my own point of view, he will make a historic departure from the cold war if he moves from the policy of unilateralism in international relations and adopt a policy of multilateralism.

He will give primacy to the United Nations and its charter as well as inter personal conventions in order to handle the problems in the Middle East and other parts of the world.

If he gives significance to advise organisations like the European Union and African Union and engage in consultations with the intelligentia of the world and people with moral authority like Bishop Tutu before formulating international policy for the US, he is likely to bring the US again into mainstream world politics as revered partner instead of being isolated.

He will be taking over at a time when the world’s economy is in crises and environmental consideration are also uppermost in the minds of the world people who are being threatened by climate change.

Well done Barrack Obama! The Democratic front runner has done what so many African leaders have failed to do and critisised Robert Mugabe for not releasing the results of the election held on March 29th. The US Senator was unafraid in his words. He said that the people of Zimbabwe were tired of Mugabe’s failed policies, which have reduced the country from the breadbasket of Africa to a basket case. This is leadership. The Zambian President, Levy Mwanwasa, has called for an emergency meeting of the Southern African Development Committee. This is in contrast to Thabo Mbeki’s call for patience and the deafening silence ringing out from the State Houses and Palaces of other African leaders. In the spirit of African unity we must do all that we can to help our brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe by forcing Mugabe and his party to release the results or leave office. It is becoming clearer by the day that there is trickery afoot.

The BBChas hard evidence that Police officers were ordered to vote for Robert Mugabe before the election so the mind boggles at the thought of what is going on behind the scenes at the moment with regard to the results of the ballot.

Our neighbours in Senegal have shown their leadership and their Pan-African justice credentials in recent days by changing the constitution to allow for the trial of the ex-Chadian leader Hissene Habre. The man, described as Africa’s Pinochet, is accused of human rights abuses during his eight years in power.

This is the kind of action that we need to see on the continent. All nations must support their neighbours and ensure that justice is available to all African people. It is too late to save the people of Chad from this man but at least they can get a form of justice if he is tried.

It is not too late however for the people of Zimbabwe. All African leaders must speak out against this mockery of democracy. The power is in the hands of all African leaders to stand up for the people of Zimbabwe because it is now crystal clear that Robert Mugabe is putting his pride, power lust and well being before that of his people. It’s reported that Mugabe and other African leaders were expecting an easy ride from Barrack Obama because of his African roots but this young man has once again risen above the issue of race and put truth and justice ahead of everything else. If he is elected to the office of United States President the unjust in Africa can expect a torrid time. African leaders who are fair and just, do not cling to power, don’t persecute journalists and put the needs of their people before their own can expect the support and friendship of the worlds most powerful nation and its President.