tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post4962295862390164929..comments2024-03-18T20:24:02.511-05:00Comments on Althouse: "Obama's ample self-regard is lapsing into hubris."Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-16166074061238272542008-07-12T17:57:00.000-05:002008-07-12T17:57:00.000-05:00Most parents have these "get caught up in the mome...<I>Most parents have these "get caught up in the moment," times, from which they then retreat a bit. Cut the man some slack, OK?</I><BR/><BR/>Exactly. It's just like the Cyrus' little daughter being photographed for <A HREF="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/27/miley-cyrus-topless-in-va_n_98836.html" REL="nofollow">Vanity Fair</A>. They didn't have any control over that situation either.kwohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03401826572255802206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-8024628219189631892008-07-12T01:01:00.000-05:002008-07-12T01:01:00.000-05:00You don't think they were sort of being pimped out...<I>You don't think they were sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?</I><BR/><BR/>A politician, especially one running for the Presidency, should be able to show himself in familiar terms, with his family around him.<BR/><BR/>It humanises the man, and actually, I thought the kiddie segment on Access Hollywood was delightful. Anyone catch their mention of going to the Dairy Queen?<BR/><BR/>(Possibly to counter the Whole Foods arugula stigma, but it sounded natural)<BR/><BR/>However, JUST ONCE, I'd like to see Obama do something, or be on someone's side, and immediately when criticism pours in, not to turncoat and run.<BR/><BR/>Oh God, it's ridiculous.<BR/><BR/>He's not a flip-flopper so much as yella.<BR/><BR/>Cheers,<BR/>Victoriavbspurshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00992013640447117624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-76917476429800925282008-07-11T20:04:00.000-05:002008-07-11T20:04:00.000-05:00good morning america is a tabloid show where you l...good morning america is a tabloid show where you live? interesting. <BR/><BR/>bigger question would be why anyone on earth cares.The Exaltedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18030346881185443267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-58526288474688080862008-07-11T16:06:00.000-05:002008-07-11T16:06:00.000-05:00Well, hasn't the discussion about Obama always bee...Well, hasn't the discussion about Obama always been about his lack of experience, characterizations, and judgements? This detour into tabloid television notwithstanding that charge already? If the man regrets putting his kids in front of a camera and then goes on a morning show with Matt Lauer to say he won't do it again, then what is the message here? That the tabloid show was beneath the dignity of his family and his regret on tabloid morning program to denounce it is somehow high morals?Methadrashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07828014989470539375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-90491848569981181262008-07-11T16:03:00.000-05:002008-07-11T16:03:00.000-05:00Okay, I thought Barack was running on his "charact...<I>Okay, I thought Barack was running on his "character and judgement". If he gets "carried away in the moment" by Access Hollywood wanting to interview his daughters then what kind of self-control will he have when the shit really hits the fan?</I><BR/><BR/>heh. this captures the level of discourse in this thread nicely.The Exaltedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18030346881185443267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-69085916657582587702008-07-11T12:25:00.000-05:002008-07-11T12:25:00.000-05:00So Ann, have you started badgering your sons for g...So Ann, have you started badgering your sons for grandchildren? Because this post comes off awfully...<BR/><BR/>Needy.<BR/><BR/>And if you feel the need to have unsupervised rug-rats crawling all over the landscape, you need to move down-market a bit. I live in a smallish white-trash town full of rampaging kneebiters. It can be an overrated experience.<BR/><BR/>And, as irritating as Sullivan can be, I have to back him up here on the "celebrity is a toxin" thing. No-one who loves their children should let them near the business end of a television camera.Mitch H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01630047498946143646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-79925653613547467642008-07-11T09:32:00.000-05:002008-07-11T09:32:00.000-05:00People want to know that the fellow they are think...People want to know that the fellow they are thinking of electing president is, at some basic level, a normal guy who can be trusted to do the right thing. This homey stuff has its place, and every candidate for public office does some of it. Here as elsewhere Sullivan manages to miss the obvious, as he goes off on some weird tanget or another with increasing regularity. <BR/><BR/>It's all well and good to say that children have a lot to contribute, are a major part of the culture and shouldn't be hidden away or overprotected. All true. But politics puts its spin on all of that too, and the context here is obviously political. As Ann was saying a day or two ago about those posters in Florida that twisted Rockwellian themes to a different purpose, the same "snark, cynicism and sadness" twists those homey values and images making them viewed differently today than they were when JFK was playing with his kids in the White House (yes, I'm old enough to remember too). Then it was all "aren't they cute, such a nice family." Today there's still some of that, but mixed it with a lot of "who are they kidding, what fakery." There are many reasons for the change in how these images are viewed, some related to how the art of political campaigning has changed. But the fact that today's audience grew up in a TV-saturated culture where fakery, self-referential irony and cynicism are the norm, while the audience of 1960 had not, is a big part of it.Richard Dolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12735773524374061429noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-5524404527174593342008-07-11T08:36:00.000-05:002008-07-11T08:36:00.000-05:00Humility requires that you see things as they are....Humility requires that you see things as they are. So, it's no crime to see the good in others.kjbehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02205930548533839170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-24340106254895975412008-07-11T08:16:00.001-05:002008-07-11T08:16:00.001-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.MadisonManhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01212179466758420208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-35580437381900943882008-07-11T08:16:00.000-05:002008-07-11T08:16:00.000-05:00I don't recall any extended interviews of Carolyn ...<I>I don't recall any extended interviews of Carolyn or John John when the Kennedys were in office or on the campaign trail.</I><BR/><BR/>Well that's a ridiculous statement. Who is going to interview a 3-year-old?MadisonManhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01212179466758420208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-30171969157966895152008-07-11T06:36:00.000-05:002008-07-11T06:36:00.000-05:00When did candor lose its original meaning, namely ...When did candor lose its original meaning, namely seeing only the good in people.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://books.google.com/books?id=s1gVAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ViewAPI#PPA13,M1" REL="nofollow">Jane Austen</A><BR/><BR/><I>``I would wish not to be hasty in censuring anyone; but I always speak what I think.''<BR/><BR/>``I know you do; and it is that which makes the wonder. With your good sense, to be so honestly blind to the follies and nonsense of others! Affection of candor is common enough -- one meets it everywhere. But to be candid without ostentation or design -- to take the good of everybody's character and make it still better, and say nothing of the bad -- belongs to you alone. And so you like this man's sisters too, do you? Their manners are not equal to his.''</I><BR/><BR/>Bumper sticker of the day: <I>Whomever controls language, controls politics</I>.rhhardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06901742898653890646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-33526857610195367252008-07-11T04:52:00.000-05:002008-07-11T04:52:00.000-05:00Obama's got gorgeous kids. Nevertheless, I can't h...Obama's got gorgeous kids. Nevertheless, I can't help thinking that these two beautiful girls are the same children he subjected to Jeremiah Wright's racist rants for all of their lifetime. Going by what their father has written and by what their mother has said, these sweet faces may well be the modern day version of Hitler jugend. It pains me to say that, but they've had a lifetime of Wright, Michelle, and Barack. What these kids really think, I don't know if I want to know.About iEdithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08405898929646139834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-83694240221648939122008-07-11T02:07:00.000-05:002008-07-11T02:07:00.000-05:00I think you are making too much about this. I thin...I think you are making too much about this. I think that you are not a parent. It was July 4th. It was his oldest daughter's birthday. The family was relaxed and happy. It was spur of the moment. Upon reflection, Senator Obama took a more cautious stance, appropriate for the age in which we live, his political visibility, and the emotional well-being of his daughters. Most parents have these "get caught up in the moment," times, from which they then retreat a bit. Cut the man some slack, OK?Suzannah Speakshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05509687564278044048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-47740259764196569192008-07-11T01:38:00.000-05:002008-07-11T01:38:00.000-05:00Seeing the Kennedy kids was "sublime"? There's so...Seeing the Kennedy kids was "sublime"? There's something a bit disturbing about that remark.<BR/><BR/>Politics is ultimately about the question of the proper uses of physical coercion. To that end, we should select political leaders with good judgment, and to do that, we must know something of their characters.<BR/><BR/>But there's something vaguely un-American about seeing the President and his family as the embodiment of all that is true and good, and delighting in the President's family. We don't need uber-leaders; we can take care of ourselves. And sometimes the President is just a jerk who knows little and thinks much of himself, as Kennedy was and Obama would be.Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12517206341706066753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-31054060080948734772008-07-10T23:44:00.000-05:002008-07-10T23:44:00.000-05:00Why is Andrew Sullivan such a whiny primadonna?Why is Andrew Sullivan such a whiny primadonna?The Counterfactualisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12604624785209454309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-87479060124513189632008-07-10T23:39:00.000-05:002008-07-10T23:39:00.000-05:00Obama's fakeness is so facile.How much longer do w...Obama's fakeness is so facile.<BR/><BR/>How much longer do we have to pretend that it isn't?<BR/><BR/>Give me a fucking break!chuck b.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00882763861745236443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-62949975472878870492008-07-10T22:59:00.000-05:002008-07-10T22:59:00.000-05:00Don't bother arguing about this today; he'll chang...Don't bother arguing about this today; he'll change his mind tomorrow.<BR/><BR/>I wonder why goofy outfit will finally sink his campaign, like the hazmat suit on Kerry and the tank helmet on Dukakis? Hmmmm...PatCAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08920623662477828662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-11273895776176376222008-07-10T21:52:00.000-05:002008-07-10T21:52:00.000-05:00I wouldn't worry -- he's being duplicitous, not fo...<I> I wouldn't worry -- he's being duplicitous, not foolish.</I><BR/><BR/>That would be the character part of it.<BR/><BR/><I>But to say that candidates owning up to small misjudgments on the campaign trail and owning up to them is prima facie evidence that they have a character problem is totally silly.</I><BR/><BR/>Three points.<BR/><BR/>(1) What you describe isn't a character issue, it's a judgement issue.<BR/><BR/>(2) Obama is the one who has decided that he should be judged on his superior judgement. He has invited exactly this kind of critique.<BR/><BR/>(3) Obama has bigger judgement issues than just this. <BR/><BR/>(a) There is the Reverend Wright issue, where he listened to an extremist minister for 20 years without objection. <BR/><BR/>(b) There is the Iraq Surge issue: he opposed it on the basis that it would never work. Well, it is working. Therefore his judgement on that issue (and on the Iraq issue more broadly) is called into question.<BR/><BR/>(c) Then we have the FISA bill. He was against it before, and now he is for it. He had this issue wrong at least once!<BR/><BR/>Relly, the issue with the Access Hollywood interview is that it is part of a much larger pattern.Icepickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09616554052707230326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-10775890478287880472008-07-10T21:50:00.000-05:002008-07-10T21:50:00.000-05:00Looks like Ann is getting into the Kool-Aid. How n...Looks like Ann is getting into the Kool-Aid. How nice. I can't wait to start reading this blog when she realizes what a snake Obama is. Take off your bliners Ann!Rocker 419https://www.blogger.com/profile/14962021566849272112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-12274666138624368532008-07-10T21:37:00.000-05:002008-07-10T21:37:00.000-05:00Why the hell is Sullivan always "gob-smacked?" Wh...Why the hell is Sullivan always "gob-smacked?" What does that even mean? Does it involve lubricants?MontJoiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16193368987531074641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-87380979834866139742008-07-10T21:36:00.000-05:002008-07-10T21:36:00.000-05:00The access Hollywood interview is no different fro...The access Hollywood interview is no different from the campaign event Obama had in Indiana when he suddenly trotted out his daughters and the older one implored to crowd to "vote for my daddy."<BR/><BR/>At that time he was pulling out all the stops because Hillary was hot on his heels.<BR/><BR/>I can never trust a politician who conveniently trots out his children for effect.FedkaTheConvicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01386250261004975323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-82227988708972102622008-07-10T21:28:00.000-05:002008-07-10T21:28:00.000-05:00Maria Menounos spends a bit too much time in makeu...Maria Menounos spends a bit too much time in makeup and fitting for any event she's a part of to be "spontaneous".<BR/><BR/>It does suggest an unhealthy crush afflicts this married man. That's how Menounos gets all her "exclusive" interviews -- celebrity and prurient appeal. So in which does Obama's compulsion live? Or both?Anil Petrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09282048082722366947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-70940841605513693092008-07-10T21:05:00.000-05:002008-07-10T21:05:00.000-05:00Oh, please Ann. He obviously wanted it both ways....Oh, please Ann. He obviously <I>wanted</I> it both ways. <BR/><BR/>I don't fault him for that, incidentally. But he really deserves exposure for being so calculating! <BR/><BR/>He is a politician who has been very successful at convincing a significant percentage of people who focus on him that he is an earnest and forthright public figure, who has somehow risen above politics. <BR/><BR/>So, it is a little frustrating when very intelligent people do not see through that facade. <BR/><BR/>He wanted to have all those who respond favorably to the charm of cute young children to hear them speak. And, he also knew that there is a percentage of people who do not like to witness public figures taking advantage of their children by exposing them to public view.<BR/><BR/>By openly expressing his "<I>second thoughts</I>" about the interview, he calculated he would win some of those folks in the second category back.<BR/><BR/>And he is no doubt correct in that assumption.Trochilushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07661310034696479920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-30495611285075403122008-07-10T21:02:00.000-05:002008-07-10T21:02:00.000-05:004 years? Can he make it to November? That's the ...4 years? Can he make it to November? That's the question.Spread Eaglehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02779141814472406229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-15007805941300463702008-07-10T20:59:00.000-05:002008-07-10T20:59:00.000-05:00Obama is up to his ears in bad decisions and mess-...Obama is up to his ears in bad decisions and mess-ups. The media have covered for him very well so far. Will they do this after his coronation? We are in for a tough 4 years...Padre Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04287681931799759902noreply@blogger.com