6:38: Starting soon. Think he'll get the hard questions? Think he'll use his boring professorial mode or his testy exasperated mode or might he attain true presidentiality?
7:02: He begins. If you don't believe we're in a crisis, you should talk to one person who's lost his job. Why would that be convincing? Only government can solve this problem. Money should go to the people most likely to spend it — not the wealthiest people, supposedly.
7:08: Failure to act "will only deepen" the crisis. That's less inflammatory that some of his recent statements.
7:10: Jennifer Loven asks him about his stronger earlier statement, that without action we may never recover. Do you think you risk losing credibility? No no no no no no. "You potentially create a negative spiral."
7:14: "That wasn't just some random number that I plucked out of.... uh" — he's thinking: can't say my ass — "out of a hat."
7:17: Iran. He's looking into it. "In the coming months, we will be looking for... openings...."
7:20: He's filibustering — using the boring professor mode.
7:23: "Everyone needs to be possessed with a sense of urgency." Let's be bipartisan: You must agree with me.
7:25: This isn't pork. There are no earmarks.
7:28: Is it so terrible to have a schoolhouse built in the 1850s? Let's see the school! You have to stop teaching when a train goes by. You get to hear a train go by. [ADDED: Don't liberals care about historical architecture?]
7:37: Jake Tapper asks how people are supposed to know if this economic plan is working — considering that earlier efforts haven't seemed to work. Obama talks about "creating or saving" 4 million jobs — huge difference between those 2 things! He talks a lot, but I don't feel that we got an answer (or that we could).
7:41: Will Obama let the press come photograph soldiers' coffins? He's looking into it. He'll get back to you later.
7:44: He's not going to let al Qaeda "act with impunity," but he has no details right now.
7:45: A reporter totally repeats Jake's question and Obama points it out. Embarrassing!
7:46: "I don't remember exactly what Joe was referring to." Laughter. "Not surprisingly."
7:47: "I have no idea" what Biden was talking about. "I really don't."
7:51: Helen Thomas gets her first shot at him. Does he know of anyone in the Middle East who's got nuclear weapons?
7:52: Huffington Post gets a question. What about Patrick Leahy's "truth and reconciliation commission" to investigate the "crimes" of the Bush administration? Will you rule out prosecutions? Come on, Barack. Just give us a nice upstanding "yes." [Sorry, I had "no" before, based on misreading the phrasing of the question.] Instead, we get the usual bullshit about how he hasn't "seen the proposals" and can't really "express an opinion" and he's got to look into it. Ugh! But his administration will do everything right. Fine. Good. Perfect. But the question is whether you will go in for this retribution against the prior administration? He does end with: "But my general orientation is let's get it right moving forward." Now, that is the right answer, and I think he knows it. It would have been presidential to take a stand against the Leahy effort. But that was not to be. A sadly missed opportunity.
7:58: "There's some ideological blockage there that needs to be cleared up." That's the characterization of the opposition to the stimulus. Makes those of us who are hesitant sound like some kind of disease. "But I am the eternal optimist... People respond to civility and rational argument... and that's the kind of leadership that I'm going to provide. Thank you guys!" Well, I respond to civility and rational argument, but I believe you just talked about me like I was some kind of disease!
8:00: He ends exactly on the button. We hear a stomp as he steps off the podium, and his walk back into the White House is noticeably different from Bush's. How can I describe the different feeling I get from that walk? You can object to this if you want. It's just my feeling. I think Bush would walk away in a ritual fashion that said: I am the President and I have accomplished what the President must do. Obama's walk said: I'm a man who has this job and now I've done it and I'm out of here.
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«सर्वात जुने ‹थोडे जुने 323 पैकी 201 – 323I agree - the so called terrorists comment really made me grumpy
Tomorrow's headline: "Obama preempts Heroes"
Wrapped up at 9:00PM EST, one hour exactly, not a whole lot of questions answered, though. Now lets turn to MSNBC and hear how wonderful President Obama was in this press conference . . .
"private sector is so weakened" it will not do the requisite spending and investment.
This is one 100% accurate thing he said tonight.
NBC reporter said they should have done this last week. I agree.
Blogger Palladian said...
Helen Thomas? That nasty little homunculus is still sitting on her gargoyle perch in the press room?
Would you trust that chair after she vacated it?
Now he is misrepresenting which Republican is saying that we don't need anything?
And, didn't he just blame Bush for over-stimulating?
Great-
Obama-
Ideological blockage that needs to be swept out.
Ya well he has a lot of stuff in this bill that needs if not a shovel a good turning over.
"Now is the winter of our hardship"???? Weak. It's an obvi ripoff of Shakespeare. It has no particular metaphorical power. And it doesn't even scan. Here is my 30-second rewrite.
Now is the season of our deep despair
As we listen helpless to these puffs of air
No longer even pretty in their patterning
By this man-boy somehow crowned a king.
He really is a gong show finalist.
Why would he object to H. Thomas' characterization - he agrees with her, and moreover, with them. They are all on the same side. Muslims want to destroy the US economically, and BHO, PBUH, is just the guy for the job.
I hate Barrack Obama and his policies and I will fight and undermine him with every breath my body has remaining. It is war.
That press conference was a big stinking pile of sh*it.
So his press conference infuriated conservatives. Wonder how it went over with his supporters?
That press conference was a big stinking pile of sh*it.
And there is a lot more to come. Unfortunately for the rest of us, and being married to a plumber I can tell you that that shit does run downhill.
Get your hip boots on the septic tank is getting full.
Ann, why would he act presidential? He is a clown, a clueless pawn, a weak man and so firmly anti-American that we are in grave danger as a country. More's the pity...
You know I think I've seen the premier of China do a press conference that was less staged...
Ann Althouse said...
"Will you rule out prosecutions? Come on, Barack. Just give us a nice upstanding 'no.'"
But that's not his answer.
We can't have executives making trips on private jets when they aren't necessary.
I made a trip to Indiana this morning.
Biden got completely dissed by Obama and the whole press corps laughed at him. These people know EXACTLY what kind of fool he is and they don't criticize Obama for picking him as VP.
OK this is damn scary-
Ann transcribed-
7:51: Helen Thomas gets her first shot at him. Does he know of anyone in the Middle East who's got nuclear weapons?
What the hell is she trying to stir up?
This has national security implications.
Is she trying to get Obama to publicly confirm or reveal Israel's status in this regard?
Holy gawd she is evil.
They actually had good reason to yank the mike from her.
How can Obama say "look what I inherited"? He was a Senator, he know about the levels of deficit spending, the Freddie/Fannie mess, the obscene earmark spending, etc.
He knew the situation, which is why his party nominated for President so he could apply their solutions tot he situation.
Does he want us to believe he had no idea how bad things are until noon on January 20th. Bullshit. What a weak excuse.
"Well, I respond to civility and rational argument, but I believe you just talked about me like I was some kind of disease!"
I guess that you're surprised only because you've self-identified (and been acknowledged) as a liberal most of your life.
Those of use who've been seen as conservative are used to that crap. And Obama is proving to be no surprise at all.
So, no one saw fit to ask why Bush's Policies were "nazi" policies but now that they're Obama policies they're groovy?
http://dissentingjustice.blogspot.com/2009/02/just-as-i-predicted-obama.html
Joe Biden has become the White House's dumb but loveable bartender Woody on Cheers. Without the loveable side of course.
Apologies for poor typing and proofing skills exhibited above.
Glad I didn't watch.
I thought he was supposed to crack jokes like JFK, radiate confidence like FDR, and spin poetry like Lincoln.
Instead he's just another boring politician.
I believe that our Blogging Cockroach would have had better and more concise answers than did President Obama.
I think Bush would walk away in a ritual fashion that said: I am the President and I have accomplished what the President must do. Obama's walk said: I'm a man who has this job and now I've done it and I'm out of here.
Yes, absolutely, I agree with you. This is my impression of the man, period.
He was a Senator, he know about the levels of deficit spending, the Freddie/Fannie mess, the obscene earmark spending, etc.
You have to actually show up and do your job in order to know these things.
Chickenlittle, a "tranche" is a slice. He's gonna ask for the second $350 mill.
How many time is he going to say
"as I've said before" or "as I've always said"
We need to add those to the drinking game.
I think Bush would walk away in a ritual fashion that said: I am the President and I have accomplished what the President must do.
It's called swagger. Commonly found in Texans. Not so much in Harvardites.
"It's called swagger. Commonly found in Texans. Not so much in Harvardites."
Dude, you don't know any Big H alums then....
"It's called swagger. Commonly found in Texans. Not so much in Harvardites."
They stagger pretty well up in Cambridge...
Dude, you don't know any Big H alums then....
Only the ones I saw looting Wall Street.
Does Obama fancy himself Richard III?
"Ideological blockage that needs to be swept out."
Obama: "What this country needs is a good enema."
The Democrats plan on a national dose of castor oil. Get ready for a big flush.
Actually, both Senators who represent my state graduated from Harvard. Neither swaggers; one sorta skips and the other minces.
I am the President and I have accomplished what the President must do. Obama's walk said: I'm a man who has this job and now I've done it and I'm out of here.
- - - - -
One was a grown up, one is a teenager. One was authentic, one is a poseur.
"Only the ones I saw looting Wall Street."
Saw, or read about on Daily Kos?
And really, are you for the Ivy Boys or agin' 'em? I take it Texas is right out, but I could have sworn from your original snark your point was "Harvard Good, Texas Bad."
But then, consistency and unicorns have never mixed well.
The governor of my state also graduated form Harvard. He has never swaggered. Waddle is the best description, I think, except for the occasional pax de deux with campaign donors who represent Indian casinos, the teachers union and road builders.
Two senator and a governor, all Harvard grads. Is it any wonder my state is a tax hell?
I am amused that commentators think a politician (and a lawyer) should give a straight yes/no answer.
I hope Obama has more press conferences. They are a good thing.
Not being a total political junkie, my guess would be Connecticut.
Me, all gaits being equal, I'll take swagger.
Hey, I was working so I couldn't see the press conference! What did I miss?
.........
Oh, dear.
Should we be grateful that ending on the hour, Obama saved us from the network's usual after-press-conference fluffing?
Eh, bad bad guess; just remembered Connecticut's gov is a she, not a he.
@Mark - Wisconsin. Agree re: swagger. Didn't mean to offend your Harvard sensibilities.
There's no ideologue worse than an ideologue who thinks he's a pragmatic moderate.
What a pretender. I am annoyed at his authoritative tone as though he knows all the answers.
Republican differences on this ridiculous bill he characterizes as their acting out of "bad habits".
The whole purpose of this was to tag Bush and Republicans with the blame for economy and for being partisan.
I am wondering what the press will do haven't heard any commentary yet.
A lot of rambling bluster from our Adjunct Professor-in-Chief.
ooh, Ann, please say more about the feeling you got when he walked away. I know what you mean, but you articulated it in a way I never could have. For all his faults, Bush always came across as a man who fully embraced the Presidency as something larger than himself. I'm not so sure Obama gets that. Does he think he's bigger than the Presidency?
George Grady: How often is he going to call this "an unprecedented problem"? It shows a complete lack of historical awareness.
- - - -
no, he is completely aware of history. He knows if he tells a lie enough, it becomes the truth. Pravda 101
Should we be grateful that ending on the hour, Obama saved us from the network's usual after-press-conference fluffing?
There would have been an uptick in property damage and insurance claims as more than shoes would have been fired at TV screens.
Why watch that when we could watch Jack Bauer kick butt?
It's going to be a long 4 years.
It's official. Mr. Barely has attained the official status of Douche Bag.
The only question is: will this guy turnout to be Nero or Caligula?
Franco said...
"What a pretender. I am annoyed at his authoritative tone as though he knows all the answers. "
He took a lot of time memorizing those answers and the order in which to give them; the least you could do is to be impressed! ;)
We have a president who is a snot and a scold.
President Snotty McScolder
Rahm Emanuel's fingerprints are all over those talking points.
This stimulus bill is like Obama sending troops to massively invade Pakistan, and when Republicans object,to say they got us into this by going to Iraq and Afghanistan.
7:28: Is it so terrible to have a schoolhouse built in the 1850s? Let's see the school! You have to stop teaching when a train goes by. You get to hear a train go by.
Sounds like DePaul's law school.
Is Dear Leader pushing a stimulus package that will put the people in Elkhart back to work building the eeevil RV's that the left has wanted off the roads for years in order to stop global warming and reduce the need for oil in order to help us achieve energy indepence? I am soooooo confused.
Bush always came across as a man who fully embraced the Presidency as something larger than himself. I'm not so sure Obama gets that. Does he think he's bigger than the Presidency?
I didn't watch tonight.
But I recall that Bush's carriage -- at least the end of his Presidency -- was always suitably Presidential. I don't really recall what it was at the beginning, however. Comparing a seasoned President to a newbie? Well, you might expect to see a difference.
For all his many faults, I think Bush came to an understanding of the office. He'd been there long enough to realize that he couldn't control things, but also that he had to maintain an appearance. So a little less hubris. But a lot more projection of Presidentiality. Presidentialness? But like I said, I don't recall his pre-9/11 carriage. You say he was always that way. I don't recall.
That was a terrible performance, and that's what these things are.
Will the NYT transcribe all the "uh"s and "Well..."s?
Barry, get some coaching before another one of these, or get the questions ahead of time a read a teleprompter.
This guy and his black liberation and terrorist ties are scary.
Oh, wait... what are we afraid of now? That he's Hoover?
The more interesting game is guessing what the Althouse commenters will be afraid of in six months? Maybe the (now) strongly heartfelt and dominating Hoover fears will stick, this time. Time will tell.
BTW, cspan is playing the town hall. The casual setting is more interesting than the WH press corps deal. Though BHO is saying mostly the same thing.
I like the more personal nature of the questions from the "real people." The media does what it must do, but real people may not care about all [most?] of what the professional media do. But, BHO in this and other town hall formats may be a better predictor of BHO's connection to the American people as a whole than his interaction w/ the media. Time will tell.
Or is he Carter? He seems a lot like Carter and Hoover. Keep telling yourselves that conservatives.
Does he want us to believe he had no idea how bad things are until noon on January 20th. Bullshit. What a weak excuse.
Why not? Sounds plausible to me. After all, it's not like he actually spent time fulfilling his senatorial duties.
From my Facebook friends' status updates:
Person A "is trying to reconcile the fact that Barack Obama is more impressive at his game than Michael Jordan and anyone who knows me knows how I feel about my TarHeels."
Person B replies: "The Tarheel in me would like to disagree but when you're right, your right."
Person C "Monday at 9pm...Heroes. Did you notice even the president knew it was time for Heroes? :-)"
Person D "is thankful that we finally have a smart president again! Great press conference!!"
Don't let anyone tell you I have no liberal friends! :-) In fact, I have a few who just can't shut the heck up about politics, so I've removed them from my news feed. These are folks who normally stay social and apolitical.
Incidentally, there are no negative comments to be seen yet. Honestly I suspect most of my friends who would feel negative probably didn't bother to watch. But make no mistake, plenty of Obama fans are happy this evening for some reason.
I've given up trying to figure Althouse.
But BTD at talkleft (who I think may hate me, based on the his response to me when he most recently banned me from commenting in his posts and who does seem to love sometimes railing against BHO) has not stopped trying to make sense of what could be senseless.
madawaskan said...
OK this is damn scary-
Ann transcribed-
7:51: Helen Thomas gets her first shot at him. Does he know of anyone in the Middle East who's got nuclear weapons?
What the hell is she trying to stir up?
This has national security implications.
Is she trying to get Obama to publicly confirm or reveal Israel's status in this regard?
Yeah, Madawaskan....that is one of the deepest secrets of all history.. Why if the General public of Israel, Egypt, Iran, Russia and America EVEN SUSPECTED Israel had nukes or especially their militaries ....it would have grave, grave implications for our national security....
So - sssssshhhhhhh!
"How can I describe the different feeling I get from that walk?"
I can describe it. You got the feeling that you brought to it. "W was a Real President. Obama is a fancy-pants pretender."
Go burn some incense or something. This is religion, non analysis.
1jpb, glancing through the comments there, one is left to think that these people still haven't got it through their heads that this isn't a game where one is either on George W. Bush's side or Barack Obama's. "Oh, but isn't he better than Bush!" they cry - but even if we stipulate that he is - so what? When did Bush become the benchmark?
1jpb said...
"I've given up trying to figure Althouse."
So you think of it as a puzzle to be solved, then, rather than an artwork to be contemplated on its terms?
Agreed, Simon. "At least he's better than Bush" is rather odd coming from someone who on any normal occasion would think "that's not saying much."
Conservatives didn't like the speech. . .and say he stammers and stumbles.
I'm SHOCKED!
ǝƃɐssǝɯ sıɥʇ pǝʌoɹddɐ ı puɐ ɐɯɐqo ʞɔɐɹɐq sı ǝɯɐu ʎɯ :ʇno ƃuıɥʇǝɯos ƃuıʎɹʇ ʇsnɾ ɯ,ı
Well, whaddya know, it worked!
Ann:
Do you regret voting for Mr. Obama yet?
I am not a big McCain fan, but there is no way that old hand would be this inept. Obama is lost.
Michael H says: "It's called swagger. Commonly found in Texans. Not so much in Harvardites."
As others have pointed out above, there's no shortage of swagger among Harvard graduates. Perhaps you should spend more time around them to learn the folkways. (Including the fact that no one in that group refers to themselves as "Harvardites".) And since I'm a Texan and graduated from Harvard, my swagger must be insufferable. Pah, in any case, so what?
I skipped the press conference. I take it that it went well?
Althouse @8:00 Obama's walk said: I'm a man who has this job and now I've done it and I'm out of here.
Exactly the feeling I've had since the inaugural, Obama hasn't yet assumed the weight of the Presidency. Hopefully events will not thrust it upon him as they did Bush, but this presser was an exercise in unseriousness.
However, having said that, the Presidential bully pulpit carries a great deal of weight with the folks, and they will give him a chance, but not a pass.
Ann -- you voted for him. What could you have possibly expected?
Damn… now I'm really mad! Here on the west coast Obama's news conference didn't interfere with House, and they're still not showing it!
MM: Unicode, eh? Did you use a JS flipper or work it out manually?
I once worked with a geek who could type ASCII and/or unicode as fast as a court reporter.
Bart - heh. Yet.
I saw the last half of the conference. I'm not feeling a lot of love here, but it was OK. He said pretty much what I thought he'd say in pretty much the way I thought he say it. He never much inspired me, but the man we saw tonight was the one America elected....Nothing that happened tonight will change anyone's mind about him. And even if he does screw up, do you really think the liberals will fess up. These are people who admire Castro and canonize Che. There is no feedback loop with reality in liberalism.
A website does it for me. It doesn't look very good in blogger, but it looks really excellent on facebook. My fb friends will become pissed.
Do I regret voting for him? Given the choice between him and McCain, I think I made the right choice. Imagine if that had been McCain tonight and if we'd been relying on McCain to get the economic solutions right.
I never feel for the adulation of Obama. I was just a humble voter trying to pick the better of two men, who were both human.
We've got a lawyer who knows nothing of economics, and couldn't explain how an economy re-coordinated itself across time if his job as President depended on it.
What we have in the White House is a B*llsh*tt*r.
A left wing, massive government b*llsh*tt*r in way over his head.
This is the Peter Principle on coke.
I believe you just talked about me like I was some kind of disease!
Althouse, demand an apology! (Do you have a tag for apologies demanded? That would be fun.)
Does he know of anyone in the Middle East who's got nuclear weapons?
You can take the girl out of Lebanon, but you can't take the Lebanon out of the girl.
Maybe she's concerned that America's favorite rogue nuclear state might start WW III.
But Obama's firm on one thing: You have to get all your questions out at one time.
Here on the west coast Obama's news conference didn't interfere with House, and they're still not showing it!
They're saving it. It'll be like having an extra one this year.
It's so refreshing to have an adult who can actually speak, at length and in detail!, in the White House. The irony is not lost on me that most of you had a problem with tonight's eloquent, disciplined, and detail-heavy press conference.
Enjoy your four years, cocoon people.
Huh, where are the defenders of all that is ri--er, left? Not got their talking point orders yet?
Tony Blair was eloquent and disciplined - but I felt like he knew what he was talking about. This felt like a really good performance, which made it feel pretty shitty. But that's been my take for awhile, unfortunately.
ZPS: I'm sure you are capable of a more substantive evaluation then he speaks well and uses a lot of details. Perhaps its mostly that you like his politics and since he speaks so well and uses a lot of details, so well its just great. The fact that he is "an adult who can actually speak, at length and in detail" doesn't make me agree with him in any way. If that's all it takes to impress you, trying going to church.
Darcy: What's a homunculus? Let me highly recommend Umberto Echo's "Foucault's Pendulum." You'll get the answer, but you might be sorry you asked!
Not that it necessarily mattered (and perhaps that is the point), but did you consider not voting at all?
Simon said...
If House was President, he'd have already fixed the problem and made his staff look like dimwits for the viewer's pleasure."
It is true that I often make the uber-recht on this blog look and feel like dimwits...care to watch re-runs?
by the way it was refreshing to hear English spoken as a first langauge after 8 very painful years.
Cedarford-
Well sad for you but even Obama seems to grasp that a nuclear arms race in the Middle East with an irrational actor on one side of the equation would be not in our best interests.
"It's so refreshing to have an adult who can actually speak, at length and in detail!, in the White House. The irony is not lost on me that most of you had a problem with tonight's eloquent, disciplined, and detail-heavy press conference."
LOL. Man, you're takin' it up the butt like a champ.
"Enjoy your four years, cocoon people."
Glad you acknowledge that Obama is going to be a one-term President, hive drone.
madawaskan said...
Cedarford-
Well sad for you but even Obama seems to grasp that a nuclear arms race in the Middle East with an irrational actor on one side of the equation would be not in our best interests.
The problem goes beyond Israel's nuclear stocks and it's continued aggressive drive to create more Settlements.
It goes beyond some religious fanatic Iranians that really would like to blow Israel off the Map. Who are stirring up trouble in Gaza, and Lebanon on a par with Israel's continuing Settlement expansion.
It goes to rational Iranians, that lost almost a million people in the 80s Iran-Iraq War being surrounded by enemies and wishing for a strong defense. Unless someone is willing to cut a deal with the Ayatollahs and the secular Iran contingent - setting up a defense Pact that may avoid Iran developing their own nukes - then the average Iranian on the street wants their nation to get strategic partity with regional threats.
"Helen Thomas gets her first shot at him. Does he know of anyone in the Middle East who's got nuclear weapons?"
Obama ducks the question, saying he doesn't want to "speculate." Well shoot, Mr. President, I'll speculate for you. The answer is that Israel has some 300 nuclear weapons at last count. Furthermore Israel has been a nuclear power now for over 40 years.
Why doesn't the president know this? Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, blurted out that Israel had nuclear weapons. Seymour Hersh wrote a whole book about Israel's nuclear strategy--"The Sampson Option." The whole world knows Israel was the first country to introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East. And the president doesn't want to "speculate?"
Do you seriously believe that McCain could have handled this economic situation any worse than Pelosi/Reid/Obama have? Do you think he would have stood still and championed this debacle of a bill with all the pork in it?
I seriously think that the Obama voters owe us an apology for this one.
Cedarford-I don't really get why the first comment angered you so much or maybe I did.
This latest response makes a lot more sense, but still you seem sympathetic to a mass of Iranians that should be glad that due to the Iran Iraq war their enemy Saddam has been taken care of and his Sunni party greatly weakened.
You'd think that you would appreciate what Bush accomplished.
So you are saying that a critical mass of the Iranian population wants nukes?
Ann Applebaum is always trying to sell that as a dream of Ahmadinejad, and that Khamenei was more moderate and not interested-and that Khamenei was really in power.
Obvious she is wrong though because things are moving forward.
Duscany-
Actually it's not our job to confirm things for Helen Thomas, or anybody else for that matter.
It's funny what FLS said above about Helen Thomas-
You can take the girl out of Lebanon, but you can't take the Lebanon out of the girl.
Calling Helen a girl...that's almost the funniest part.
Wow! A president who can actually speak in a complete sentence!
...at least as long as he's got a teleprompter and rehearsed speech.
I'm a little disappointed that Obama ducked Helen Thomas's question about existing nuclear weapons in the Middle East by saying he didn't want to "speculate" on the matter. But no speculation was necessary. The whole world knows that Israel has a nuclear stockpile. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert himself blurted out six months ago that Israel was a nuclear power. Seymour Hersh wrote an entire book about Israel's nuclear strategy--"The Sampson Option." And yet our president thinks that to mention Israel's estimated 300 nuclear weapons is "speculation?" Who is he trying not to offend? It certainly isn't the truth.
madawaskan: "Actually it's not our job to confirm things for Helen Thomas, or anybody else for that matter."
I don't care about Helen Thomas. What I want to know is why did Obama evade telling the truth about what he (and every other literate person in the world already knows)--that there already are nuclear arms in the Middle East (300 by some estimates) and they're all owned by Israel. During the recent election campaign Obama promised to introduce fresh thinking into the Middle East quagmire, but the first chance he gets to put the truth out he kowtows to AIPAC.
After this I am really wondering what this president's strong points are.
We know it is not economics or the stimulus bill would not be so pork-filled as it is. He would have spoken to the congressional leaders and told them to get the pork out or he would veto it.
We know it is not foreign relations or he would have gotten some support from our allies for the Afghan campaign and he would not be dissed so much by the Middle Eastern leaders he plans on schmoozing.
We know it is not ethics or his staff would not have vetted all these crooks for positions of responsibility and the questionnaire would have thrown up the tax problems his candidates have.
We know it is not intelligence or we would not have been told this cockamamie bit about how he is going to stop the renditions unless the countries we are going to send these people to promise not to torture them. That and a couple of bucks will buy you a small latte. He is also doing all he can to hamstring his intelligence staff and naming people who know nothing about intelligence work to leadership positions.
We know it is not the legal issues or he would not have promised to close Gitmo without at least telling us what he intended to do with the prisoners there and how they would be handled.
We know it is not bipartisanship or we would not have been told he won so suck it up. He would also have stomped on the congressional leadership and seen to it that they at least included the loyal opposition in the writing of the major legislation. Instead he has been taken to the woodshed over and over again by the congressional leaders and he seems satisfied to just let them do what they want and he will work with it. I guess that is what Chicago calls leadership.
That does not leave much for him to show why he should be president since he seems a total lightweight on every major issue. He can't even be pragmatic since he sure didn't do a very good job of selling his platform at this press conference.
That's what comes of buying a pig in a poke.
Extremely excellent job of FISKING, by the way, Professor!
" Paul Snively said...
Darcy: What's a homunculus? Let me highly recommend Umberto Echo's "Foucault's Pendulum." You'll get the answer, but you might be sorry you asked!"
I did look it up...but a recommendation from Paul Snively?
I'll be glad to follow. ;-)
I woke up this morning feeling like I live in Chicago and the Governor of Illinois just crammed a huge patronage spending bill through the state legislature in order to make sure his need for patronage money before the next election was fulfilled.
I am not hopeychangified. I am deeply troubled by the headlong rush toward socialism.
I note with a great deal of concern that the price of gold is increasing, and have read reports about how people with assets (the "evil rich" in our new utopia) are making a headlong rush out of equities and into gold.
Inflation is coming, and it's going to be awful.
Bush's walk wasn't ritual; it was the walk of a clown who has just made a fool of himself in front of the world, again, but whose silly little gait says "Nailed it."
Well, last night I sat down to watch the first unrehearsed act of the Obama administration.
My expectations weren’t high, as I’d witnessed his campaign style the last several years so I knew that with the help of a lap-dog press he would be able to ‘skate’ right through it. Boy, was I mistaken.
What I saw last night was a dark, brooding, rude, uncomfortable, and extremely insecure man. I saw a man that has trained for campaigning, but not governing. I saw a man that showed little experience in the art of decision-making and very comfortable ‘going along’ with the plans of others. I heard a man’s voice lilt at the first sign of semi-tough questions. I saw a flat-footed rookie receiver talking trash, yet unwilling to man-up and go up and get the ball.
For over two years our president has been called a rock star.
Last night I didn’t see Mick Jagger at Madison Sq. Garden. I didn’t see Stevie Wonder at the Hollywood Bowl, and I sure didn’t see Bono at Wembley. What I saw was Ike Turner at the lounge of the Vegas Hilton.
What I want to know is why did Obama evade telling the truth about what he ... already knows)--that there already are nuclear arms in the Middle East ... and they're all owned by Israel.
1, He's not an idiot.
2. Israel, not social security, is the real third rail of American politics.
3. The nuclear status quo has been in place for 40 years.
4. "No-drama" Obama wants to get his priorities accomplished, not randomly unleash shitstorms.
Do you seriously believe that McCain could have handled this economic situation any worse than Pelosi/Reid/Obama have?
The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them. -- Albert Einstein
FLS,
what does Albert Einstein have to do with the Pelosi/Reid/Obama stimulus bill. He made sense and dealt with realities. This does not.
Glen said...
God help us. I am scared.
About sums it up.
Come Mr. Tollybon,
Tolly me Obama!
(it's a Calypso thang...)
FDR was a national hero because when he came to office the nation was gripped by fear and he was confident and reassuring. Obama has the confident part, but he's been trying to scare us all, so that the Democrat's bill will go through.
As for reassuring, he doesn't tell us how the biggest pork barrel bill in history will fix the recession; he just keeps saying "We've got to do SOMETHING!"
Well, "something" sounds a lot like "anything" and that doesn't reassure me that he or his party really knows what they're doing. I'd rather do nothing than exacerbate the problem by doing the WRONG thing. But I don't think that's what Republicans are proposing, as he keeps saying falsely. He hasn't even listened to them. All he says is the old populist canard "tax cuts for the rich" and "We can't do nothing." He sounds like a parrot, not a president.
And you voted for this windbag, Ann. A total empty suit who thinks the presidency is a role he can act while others do the grunt work. All he wants to do is invite folks to stay over, throw parties, go out to dinner, and relish the perks of the POTUS. The work? The Big O is not down with that. Thanks to all those who helped elect this moron.
Am I the only one who sees Althouse being vindicated by her vote? If it were McCain, the stimulus bill would:
a) be just as big
b) have a lot more Rep support
c) end up being tarred as "failed conservatism" when it bombed
This thing has fired up conservatives who, if Obama/Emmanuel/ACORN can't sew up all the election and census fixing they want to do, might have a chance to, you know, actually act like conservatives and be effective.
I listened on the radio. Always less distracting. He didn't say much and put a few whoppers in there. Rather boring as he basically filibustered the press conference. Doesn't he know when to shut up. Not impressed but then again I have never been impressed with him.
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