Drudge dogged him back in the spring of '08 for looking dorky on a bicycle. You'd think his people would at least get him a non-unisex bike that's the right size for him. Anyway, here's Drudge juxtaposing him to Putin holding a giant weapon. But it's not as though you can't look cool with a bike. Be like this:
(Miss him yet?)
Right under the Obama-on-a-bike/Putin-with-a-gun juxtaposition today, Drudge has this picture:
(Saving the image, I called this "dumbrella." Imagine if Bush had made an error of that kind?)
Drudge uses that picture to link to an AP story about Obama's commitment to Katrina victims: "Five years after Hurricane Katrina's wrath, President Barack Obama sought to reassure disaster-weary Gulf Coast residents Sunday that he would not abandon their cause." The AP story has Obama "[s]tanding in front of a large American flag with students arrayed behind him," so why does Drudge show Obama and his elegantly dressed wife entering (or leaving) a fancily gated establishment and mishandling an umbrella? That picture says so much: Obama is distracted by the trivial problems of taking his wife out somewhere expensive while the poor people of the Gulf are waiting and waiting for help. The disapproving glance of his wife gets more attention than the appeals of the hurricane victims. He's fortunate enough to have the kind of weather problem that can be solved by a simple umbrella, which wouldn't be any help at all in a hurricane. And yet his handling of an umbrella in a drizzle is incompetent, so how could he deal with a hurricane? The picture says: How can Obama understand/care/do anything about Katrina?
ADDED: There's also this way for a (future) President to look good with a bike.
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186 comments:
This guy is so fricken Urkel. I will always be amazed at the rainbow skittle and marshmallow cloud fantasy liberals and independents engaged in to actually think he was capable of even playing at president, much less being president.
It would be funny if he weren't destroying our country.
Hopefully, one day we'll actually be able to look back on his one term in office and laugh.
The pic of Obama is hilarious. Looks like a kid borrowing his big sister's bike.
What a boob.
Where is Drudge getting these embarassing photos? Don't these come from the White House?
WV: horses
Real word.
Wow Ann, you must have had some free trade analytical java this morning. At times, I think you over analyze. That is a common trait for attorneys. But, I think you're spot on regarding this one.
My thoughts when I first saw this was why did he not alert his wife about the constraint, so that like a good gentleman, he could maintain coverage for her, dropping it down and having her slow down to keep coverage.
Instead it almost seems like he was more interested in protecting himself from the rain, and she was expendable.
If you look at the picture he seems to struggle with how to keep himself dry whilst walking under the gate. Hence the rather disgruntled look from Michelle, who suddenly finds herself unprotected. This picture is worth a thousand words.
What's the Muslim holiday for Christmas? He could ask Santa for a boy's bike, and an extra umbrella for Michelle.
"My thoughts when I first saw this was why did he not alert his wife about the constraint, so that like a good gentleman, he could maintain coverage for her, dropping it down and having her slow down to keep coverage.
Instead it almost seems like he was more interested in protecting himself from the rain, and she was expendable.
If you look at the picture he seems to struggle with how to keep himself dry whilst walking under the gate. Hence the rather disgruntled look from Michelle, who suddenly finds herself unprotected. This picture is worth a thousand words."
That's such a kind reading of his thought process. My thinking is he is just too stupid to realize he needed to quickly tip it down so they could go under and then flip it back up. He's a moron - if not for not knowing how to handle an umbrella then certainly for not knowing how to handle one with the whole fricken world watching him.
Yup, if it were Bush doing any of these things the left would call him a moron.
Are we embarrassed yet?
These two people are representing the United States of America in a time of unrest around the world, nuclear armament of radical Islamic countries, financial collapse of the world wide economy and the US teetering on the brink of a new great depression.
And.....he can't even master a freaking umbrella or figure out that he is riding a girlie bike. Pee Wee Herman has more testosterone and brains than Obama. Hell....MICHELLE has more testosterone and can man up better than Obama.
And....WTF is that horrible dress that she is wearing. Is she supporting the New Orleans Salvation Army store?
/facepalm.
Ouch. DBQ did not get the memo.
This is the smartest president we've ever had and the most beautiful and wonderful first lady EVER.
Get with it Dusty.
talk about reading WAY too much into things...i heard "a day in the life" was about Paul dying....
How laughable-- the Obama family riding bikes together and the father not setting a macho role by dashing ahead on a Mt. Bike. Just another reason to make fun of family values.
Obviously a snapshot taken at an inopportune moment can make anyone look like a clown, but the umbrella pic caught my eye yesterday as well.
Now, it's not as if we all don't do stupid shit like this all the time. But this just makes Obama look like the Far Side kid at the school for the gifted, trying to push open a closed door labeled PULL.
The juxtaposition with Putin is hysterical and historically apt. The American academic progressive vs a steel-handed practitioner of the actual "progressive" arts.
TRO my point is that he is self centered, I didn't think I needed to re-state what we all know.
R-V,
The guy looks like a dork and an idiot. What the fuck does this have to do with family values?
You pissed because people are making fun of your boyfriend?
Putin wouldn't let his underlings release a picture like that. Putin knows the importance of maintaining a serious public image. I don't think the regime's propagandists do.
I saw the umbrella pic at Legal Insurrection last night (via Instapundit) and the funniest comment was the one dubbing Obama "Barry Poppins." I about split my sides.
"TRO my point is that he is self centered, I didn't think I needed to re-state what we all know."
Ahh, well, that goes for his being self-centered too, don't you think?
It's quite possible that if you had video instead of a still, that Obama performed a deft maneuver lifting the umbrella high with one hand up and using the other to grab from the other side of the crossbar without missing a beat.
Why is Michelle ducking?
But it's not as though you can't look cool with a bike. Be like this:
True! I was in a mountain-bike race trying to stay the hell out of the way of people like this
wv = hencons. Conservative fowl.
Best comment I've seen so far has been at The Breda Fallacy:
..."Oh, great. The bad guys have Dr. Evil and all we have to save us is Pee Wee Herman."
"It's quite possible that if you had video instead of a still, that Obama performed a deft maneuver lifting the umbrella high with one hand up and using the other to grab from the other side of the crossbar without missing a beat."
Which is more believable though - Barry being deft or that baby saying Obama?
OT - do younger people know that back in the olden days, you could ride a bike without a helmet and without a spandex uniform?
And.....he can't even master a freaking umbrella or figure out that he is riding a girlie bike. Pee Wee Herman has more testosterone and brains than Obama.
More and more powerfully, with each and every passing day, he reminds me of Warner Brothers' "Egghead, Jr." character, from the old Foghorn Leghorn cartoons.
Well, it's POSSIBLE that he "performed a deft maneuver," but it would have been considerably more deft (and less daft) of him to merely tilt the umbrella a little to his left as they walked through the gate. That way, the umbrella would have fit through the gap, and he could have kept Michele covered, even if he got a bit damp himself in a manly sort of way. Plus, it wouldn't have looked so much as if 1) he has no sense of spatial mechanics and 2) he's never used an umbrella before!
It's quite possible that if you had video instead of a still, that Obama performed a deft maneuver lifting the umbrella high with one hand up and using the other to grab from the other side of the crossbar without missing a beat.
And THEN he bursts into a Gene Kelly Singing in the Rain dance, deftly swinging the umbrella in graceful arcs tap dancing his way down the street. While Michelle really turns that frown upside down and puts on a happy face.
Tra la la.
"And THEN he bursts into a Gene Kelly Singing in the Rain dance, deftly swinging the umbrella in graceful arcs tap dancing his way down the street. While Michelle really turns that frown upside down and puts on a happy face."
LOL, thank you for that.
It's not a "fancily gated establishment," it's a re-developed housing project. We have iron work gates and fences all over New Orleans - they're not indications of luxury, they're part of the architectural style. Even the most mundane of homes has iron work.
I tried to do some Obama umbrella research, and found this:
Nov 18, 2009 ... President Obama did not come to China carrying a big stick, but he did carry his own umbrella.
So, it isn't his first time with an umbrella.
Try the Chinese finger trap test on Obama.
(click pic to enlarge)
Michelle's look at the umbrella is a hoot.
She's thinking "What the fuck, Potus! Figure it out, and don't drop it on me."
So when he assures Israel that they will be safe under our nuclear umbrella ...
Actually, I don't think the umbrella one is all that bad, but the top one is a killer. Somehow, though, I think it might have been made just a tad worse if Drudge had removed Vlad the Chekhist and replaced him with Kerry in the isolation suit and Dukakis in the tank and slipped in some link to the Demos' lousy chances in November.
Oy.
Clyde said...
Putin wouldn't let his underlings release a picture like that. Putin knows the importance of maintaining a serious public image.
If somebody in the Kremlin released something like the bike shot, said somebody would be currently employed as a damping rod at Chernobyl.
AJ Lynch said...
OT - do younger people know that back in the olden days, you could ride a bike without a helmet and without a spandex uniform?
They've been so wussified, they probably would be horrified.
Why the need for the umbrella? Why didn't he just part the raindrops?
Actually, the bigger series of those photos can be seen on RedState.com "Their Guy vs. Our Guy"
http://www.redstate.com/erick/2010/08/27/their-guy-vs-our-guy/
It is embarrassing and hilarious at the same time for us.
How laughable-- the Obama family riding bikes together and the father not setting a macho role by dashing ahead on a Mt. Bike. Just another reason to make fun of family values.
Actually, the laughable part is the helmet. Never used 'em on bikes. Never GOING to use 'em. Don't make my kids use 'em. They look ridiculous. Most are made exceptionally poorly. But mainly, they just make you look like a dork.
OT - do younger people know that back in the olden days, you could ride a bike without a helmet and without a spandex uniform?
Different kind of bike riding chief. When I'm just tooling around on my hybrid I don't wear a helmet either. Road bike seats kind of require chamois bike shorts too. And its lycra not spandex. Please make a note of it.
Hoosier:
I know about and use the padded shorts myself.
But I am amazed to see all the bikers wearing the shirts as well? A t-shirt works fine for me. Give me a break - it's over the top IMO.
No, Ann. No one misses Bush. Not now. Not ever.
Actually, the laughable part is the helmet. Never used 'em on bikes. Never GOING to use 'em. Don't make my kids use 'em. They look ridiculous. Most are made exceptionally poorly. But mainly, they just make you look like a dork.
Just to set the record straight, if your just cruising around that's fine but if you're actually doing any semi-serious mountain biking or roadie, that dorky helmet can be the deciding factor between a slight concussion or spending the rest of your days eating through a straw. Of the two nasty spills I have taken, I'd probably be dead or a vegetable from one of them save for that helmet.
I kinda feel for him about the helmet. He really had to wear it, because the worry wart nannies would have said he was setting a bad example without one. The Secret Service guys with him didn't wear one.
Would have been awesome to see him ride his bike, wearing a helmet, with a cigarette dangling out of his mouth.
"No, Ann. No one misses Bush. Not now. Not ever."
Please, I know at least one group of folks who miss him dearly. They're called the Democratic leadership.
But I am amazed to see all the bikers wearing the shirts as well? A t-shirt works fine for me. Give me a break - it's over the top IMO.
Depends if you're a casual rider or are (semi)competive or training. T-shirts=drag.
But mainly, they just make you look like a dork.
Better to briefly look like a dork than to be brain damaged for life.
I have a friend who is an experienced long distance bike rider (100 mile races) who was thrown from his bike by a dog and had a severe head injury. It took him about 5 years to recover and he still isn't 100%. He now wears a helmet.
The President should try to avoid all public dorkish moments even if it means not riding a bike.
Ann Althouse said...
It's quite possible that if you had video instead of a still, that Obama performed a deft maneuver lifting the umbrella high with one hand up and using the other to grab from the other side of the crossbar without missing a beat.
---------
haha, I though about that but if you look at the picture closely, he is not tall enough to smoothly execute that -- his right arm is already out stretched. The best he could have done is to throw it to the other side and grab it but even that seems awkward because his arm does not come close to the top of the bar. Where is that video? May be his handlers at the WH will make a video and release it to silence us.
I can agree helmets do make sense for some riders.
I fell twice in the last year and did it so stupidly, I have made a mental note to buy and use a helmet.
Ann Althouse said...
It's quite possible that if you had video instead of a still, that Obama performed a deft maneuver lifting the umbrella high with one hand up and using the other to grab from the other side of the crossbar without missing a beat.
I'd go with 'impossible'. His arms are pretty clearly near full extension. Getting the bottom of the umbrella over the gate while keeping control of it ain't gonna happen. MO's expression clearly indicates that she's trying to stay under the coverage while he sorts out what to do. As TRO pointed out, there is almost no way that to manuver through the gate with the umbrella over both of them. Obama is too tall. it would have made a lot more sense to lower and tilt the umbrella, momentarily exposing himself to rain while keeping Michelle protected. I think that would have been an instintive response for most men, and it speaks volumes that Obama is even attempting to lift the umbrella over the gate.
But mainly, they just make you look like a dork.
You guys are confusing my desire to not look like a dork with rash decision visa vi helmets on my part.
We're not talking about ironman downhills here or road riding where traffic is common. I'm talking about riding around the neighborhood like my kids do all the time (and I did when I was their age).
If I climb on a touring cycle to ride with my brother in law (who does three hours at a go three times a week) I'll put on the helmet.
The first thing I thought of when I saw the bike picture was Dukakis in that tank... except that AT LEAST DUKAKIS WAS IN A *TANK* ...
Dork in chief.
Spaz in chief.
And that is not a giant weapon, just a good sized rifle suitable for shooting things.
Too bad our masculinity challenged president can't get that kind of photo op. He's so gay. Michelle is ducking rain drops - you know about women and their hair - it might revert to its original state and give Imus something to comment about.
And Beth, that's an architectural style based on the rampant crime rate you have in that urine soaked hell hole. Lie about it all you want - those are prison bars. Gated communities exist in every slum - gates on the windows, gates on the doors...
I kinda feel for him about the helmet. He really had to wear it, because the worry wart nannies would have said he was setting a bad example without one. The Secret Service guys with him didn't wear one.
Memo to President:
Tell the worry wart nannies to fuck off. You are the President. Part of your job is not looking like a castrated dweeb. You look stupid in the helmet, sort of like Mike Dukakis did in the damn tank. Grow a pair. The people will cheer if you act like a man.
(Doubt any of his advisers will come close to such advice. This is too big a job for anyone below Michelle's pay grade. Michelle should do the country a favor, and tell her man to stop being a putz.)
Answer to question: Surprisingly, yes.
I dunno, I've tried that maneuver and have never landed the toss and catch successfully...and I've looked like a dork every single time.
I'd rather have our President risk the chance of a head injury than have our enemies see him with that helmet and on a girlie bike.
And there's nothing funny about those pics of him and Putin. Putin is the protector of "them" and Obama is the protector of "us." Where is the haha there?
Scott M,
Very unwise to not wear a helmet while bike riding, and even more so for your kids. A flip over the handlebars can easily result in landing on the top of the head.
"And that is not a giant weapon, just a good sized rifle suitable for shooting things."
Actually, it was a dart gun. He shot darts into a whale for some scientific purpose or another.
People who bike without helmets are dense, and likely to become more so.
You can look cool with a bike helmet by the way. But you have to personify coolness before you put the helmet on, that's the trick.
Too bad our masculinity challenged president can't get that kind of photo op.
In all fairness, there aren't many Dems that could pull it off. Not because they aren't being sincere or because they don't "walk the walk" so to speak, but unless a given Democrat has cultivated a career-long reputation as a user of firearms, they are damned if they do, damned if they don't.
If they do go fire some rounds off for a photo op, it comes off as woefully insincere. If they don't, they're anti-gun.
There's a happy medium, but how often to we get that these days?
I'm talking about riding around the neighborhood like my kids do all the time (and I did when I was their age).
That's what my friend was doing. Riding his bike to his workplace in our little rural area and whammo a dog ran into his bike. He was probably going at best 5 mph at the time.
But....suit yourself. Oh...and don't run with scissors either. /wink.
MO is ducking because she expected him to bend and lower the 'dumbrella' which was the natural thing to do and she is scowling impatiently because she knows this will go viral. Smart woman. I bet she will nag him about this later.
Scott M,
Very unwise to not wear a helmet while bike riding, and even more so for your kids. A flip over the handlebars can easily result in landing on the top of the head.
See David's post from 12:07.
I suppose while I'm going down to the store to buy helmets for the bikes, I could get seat-belts for the swing set, keep them in floaties while swimming until they graduate high school, and safety glasses for that just-in-case moment while they play Uno. We've also got an automatic Heimlich machine in the dining room.
Yes, I miss Bush. I miss him badly in comparison to the current resident. Who I am not going to say is the worst President ever. Just the worst President since James Buchanan.
Why doesn't Michelle carry her own damn umbrella? Seriously. Sharing an umbrella was all cute and romantic when I was teen-ager, but after that, it made no sense (except when sharing with a small child). It leads to really silly situations, although this one *is* a bit more over the top than most. Sheesh.
Beth thanks for pointing out the obvious about the umbrella photo, as Obama decides to hand it to himself over the top rather than close it down to fit through the opening. While the hostess's twisted logic spins in the wind over this picture, I suspect it is a gesture made by one who plays basket ball. By the way, for those laughing at wearing a helmet, you would have had a hoot yesterday watching Lance Armstrong.
People who bike without helmets are dense, and likely to become more so.
There are many many common ways to get head injuries, and only a few of them have people fretting over wearing helmets.
I know a guy who died because he was walking with his hands in his pockets. He tripped, couldn't stop his fall, and hit his head on a curb. Tragic.
Perhaps we should start wearing life helmets, just in case.
I know a guy who died because he was walking with his hands in his pockets. He tripped, couldn't stop his fall, and hit his head on a curb. Tragic.
True. There are many ways to qualify for runner up in the Darwin Awards.
By the way, for those laughing at wearing a helmet, you would have had a hoot yesterday watching Lance Armstrong.
Obama is no Lance Armstrong.
But....suit yourself. Oh...and don't run with scissors either. /wink.
Oh, I love doing that!
(Cute avatar, DBQ!)
Perhaps we should start wearing life helmets, just in case.
Well for some people, that may be appropriate. Wearing one while puzting along is probably being over protective, wearing one while zipping along at 20mph, probably a good idea.
Lincolntf said...
The pic of Obama is hilarious. Looks like a kid borrowing his big sister's bike.
What a boob.
You can't say that! He's certainly no Christina Hendricks.
HDHouse said...
No, Ann. No one misses Bush. Not now. Not ever.
The troops do. All the people who disliked having unwanted legislation imposed on them do.
Walking with your hand in your pockets makes you a runner up for the Darwin awards?
Harsh, DBQ.
What gives me hope is this:
We are all laughing our asses off at Obama and Michelle. When you can't laugh or are afraid to laugh at authority figures, it is a bad sign.
It is healthy to be able to poke fun at and take down a few pegs someone with such an obviously high opinion of himself as Obama.
nyuk nyuk nyuk
It didn't rain when he lived in Hawaii?
nyuk nyuk nyuk
Once a big fan, I've come to loath Stephen King novels. This one, though, wasn't so bad.
HDHouse said...
No, Ann. No one misses Bush. Not now. Not ever.
8/30/10 11:49 AM
Awwwww. Not even a leeeeeeetle beet?
I miss W, HD.
Then the drama was all on the other side.
Now Obama creates drama daily. I like boring, myself. With a healthy splash of well mannered class.
Obama looks like a pussy on a bicycle. He not only wears the stupid head cover, but he positions his legs—knees in—like a girl. Dude, give up the damn bike!
There is Putin going around Russia doing macho and manly things. There is Obama simpering and licking ice-cream cones, looking like a dork on a bike, blowing the taxpayer $$ on lobster and shrimp.
Scott M - "The juxtaposition with Putin is hysterical and historically apt. The American academic progressive vs a steel-handed practitioner of the actual "progressive" arts."
It gets even better. The weapon Vlad has is the whale harpooner he used on a gray whale in the Sea of Ohtosk.
Of course, it just carried a radio-tagging harpoon instead of a meat-maker to shoot the little gay, baby whale with.
One presumes the former KGB agent asked first: "Will it hurt the whale when I shoot it?"
"A little bit,Comrade Putin"
"Good."
The Russians love this guy.
Russia went through an economic and political trauma in the 90s orders of magnitude worse than what the USA has seen from beginning of the 2nd Bush term to present.
Vladimir was the hardass that brought Russia up tall again and routed the oligarchs and rolled back the US spreading its influence into the Near Far and Central Asia.
AJ L: I fell twice in the last year and did it so stupidly, I have made a mental note to buy and use a helmet.
Write it down so you don't forget it.
A bike helmet is a good idea if you are in a race, but come on, this fool is going about 2 miles an hour. He doesn't need one. If a dog ran in front of him, the Secret Service would fill it full of holes.
FWIW:
Falls are the leading cause of Traumatic Brain Injury (28%).
Motor Vehicle accidents are the second leading cause of Traumatic Brain Injury (20%).
Pedal Cycle accidents are about 3% of the traumatic brain injuries each year.
Not saying that wearing a bike helmet isn't wise, but you can't really be holier-than-thou about them without acknowleging the other risks in life that do not require them.
It all reminds me of the mania there was for a while promoting toddler car seats on planes.
Nice Randy Normal jeans on the POTUS in both bike photos.
Obama on bike=Dukakis in tank. Not a good look for either one.
That picture says so much: Obama is distracted by the trivial problems of taking his wife out somewhere expensive while the poor people of the Gulf are waiting and waiting for help. The disapproving glance of his wife gets more attention than the appeals of the hurricane victims. He's fortunate enough to have the kind of weather problem that can be solved by a simple umbrella, which wouldn't be any help at all in a hurricane. And yet his handling of an umbrella in a drizzle is incompetent, so how could he deal with a hurricane? The picture says: How can Obama understand/care/do anything about Katrina?
Well done. And it doesn't matter if the pic was taken out of context - it says everything about how the public preception of Obama.
For me, I found it interesting that when asked about the Beck demonstration, Obama clamed he ignored it. Said he was playing golf...
Seriously, though. Why would you post something like that HD? I notice, especially (but not exclusively) on the left, this tendency to deny the obvious.
It doesn't change the situation. It just hurts your credibility.
You're like the Newsweek of Althouse.
Gonna cause lots of groans here, but I thought GWB was macho. And adorable.
Yeah. Miss him. Though not really because of the macho stuff. Okay, a little.
Dork on a bike, now.
For me, I found it interesting that when asked about the Beck demonstration, Obama clamed he ignored it. Said he was playing golf...
I would have found it interesting if he claimed to have tuned into it.
Man, I would really like to know how he solved this umbrella problem. Did he try to pass it over the gate? If he tried that, he probably had to throw it up in the air to get it over. How'd that work out? Did he tip it to the side, and then through the gate? Did he collapse it until it fit? Did he just give up, and leave the umbrella on the other side?
I want the video!
The helmet is fine, it is the unbelievably dorky jeans, mom jeans again, and the girl's bike. He should not permit these kinds of photo ops. He might be a great basketball player but he throws a baseball like a girl, rides a girl's bike, and looks like a complete tool.
As a matter of courtesy one collapses the umbrella sufficiently to pass through the portal while still providing coverage to the lady. A swift deft move and the deed is done with hardly an errant drop. The over the top maneuver merits the look he is getting from his wife.
Henhouse - "No, Ann. No one misses Bush. Not now. Not ever."
Edutcher - "The troops do. All the people who disliked having unwanted legislation imposed on them do."
We have not had the experience of two really bad, generally incompetent Presidents in a row. The closest we have is Nixon-Carter with caretaker Ford in the middle. Nixon was competent, though..may have been bad but accomplished great things. But no one was pining for a New-new Nixon run after Carter proved what a disaster he was.
Bush was a bad President that had two endless wars of nation-building going on that sucked 1 trillion out of the economy and discredited the international reputation of the US, then the whole economic meltdown happened in part because Bush only cared about his tax cuts and a band of 4-6,000 "Evildoers" and did not heed warning signs.
But Obama is worse.
No one is really pining for Dubya, though.
The Marines and Army troops on a battalion level knew from the end of "official combat" in 2003 that Bush, Rumsfeld, Franks, and the Neocon civilian leadership at Pentagon had left a steaming pile of shit for them to clean up. Military tasked to Afghanistan protested for years that resources they needed to stop the Taliban from resurging were devoted to multi-billion infrastructure and "armor all Humvee" deals in Iraq.
And the claim the troops love Dubya and the Neocon Cabal that guided him is ludicrous.
Lower enlisteds got into the whole "rah, rah! You are all heroes, thing." But the exit rate for junior officers tasked by command apple-polishers to lead and lose men in missions of utter futility in two shithole nations matched the exit rate of officers in the worst years of Vietnam.
Senior officers outside Bush's "Hero Spec Ops folks" were screaming that Bush was ignoring China relentlessly building up and modernizing its Navy, missile, and Air Force and preparing to dominate the Western Pacific unless Japan stepped in to build up - which they didn't.
Overall, the military knows Bush let America get pinned down in two endless wars. Which allowed Venezuela, N Korea, Russia, China great freedom of action.
That America's Open Borders are a national security threat and Bush did nothing.
But yes, Obama is worse than Bush. And most military leadership if asked privately would say they loathe Obama and miss Bush ...But meaning Herbert Walker Bush, not the bumbling son.
Not that its really relevant, but that's not a gun in Putin's hands. It's a crossbow, and he's leaning out over the edge of a fast-moving raft to shoot a greywhale. It's actually even more badass than the picture suggests.
Best comment I've seen so far has been at The Breda Fallacy:
Nah, the best one I've seen is at Legal Insurrection:
He could point it in the direction he wants to go, and RAM IT THROUGH. Worked before, didn't it?
I would have found it interesting if he claimed to have tuned into it.
My point was that for all the flak he's taken for hitting the links while the economy devolves, you'd think he'd say he was washing his hair that night instead.
He's become Louis XVI, ensconced in his court pondering trivialites while the country falls apart.
Either that or he's tone deaf. I hope he's just that. Otherwise, we have a greater problem.
...and discredited the international reputation of the US...
Remind me again when the international community has ever viewed this country with anything other than subdued loathing.
righties just love them commie leaders. Mmmm mmm, Putin. He sexy.
He's channelling John Kerry.
Don't miss W, HD? Apparently even lots of people who lived through what was touted as his worst failure do.
Putin would have grabbed the sides of the gate and separated them farther so the umbrella would have fit. Commies are bad ass.
"Ya, hold my beer, vatch dis."
"Overall, the military knows Bush let America get pinned down in two endless wars. Which allowed Venezuela, N Korea, Russia, China great freedom of action."
And last but not least, Iran. The neocon nation-building adventure in Iraq that strategically pinned down America, gave Iran a pro-Iranian Shiite government in Iraq - and made the US public adamant against starting a 3rd major war -was a godsend to the Iranians.
When we talk about McCain's failed Presidential run, it goes past McCains flaws, his cluelessness on the economy, Sara Palin being bubonic plague to women outside the Religious Right. Many independents and Reagan Democrats just couldn't abide McCains signals that he wanted to start a 3rd War for "My Special Friend, Israel...my friends, my friends!"
righties just love them commie leaders. Mmmm mmm, Putin. He sexy.
Heh. Setting aside the sexy, which he obviously is, he's more a fascist than a commie.
Which, you know, is consistent with the Right loving him.
Heh. Setting aside the sexy, which he obviously is, he's more a fascist than a commie.
Which, you know, is consistent with the Right loving him.
Please explain how tyranny-------moderate-----anarchy (from left to right) puts fascists anywhere even close to the right side of the spectrum. Putin is a central planner of the first degree. The more central control, the further left you lean.
I have yet to hear a compelling argument that explains why fascism = right-wing politics other than the left arbitrarily says it's so.
In any case, you're mistaking affection for Putin for respect of a competitor. The two aren't necessarily the same thing and don't have to coexist.
In any case, you're mistaking affection for Putin for respect of a competitor. The two aren't necessarily the same thing and don't have to coexist.
I for one miss the Cold War.
But make no mistake: If there was a video of Putin hoisting a shot of vodka and singing The International, garage would probably swoon and pass out like a 14 year old at a Jonas Brothers concert.
Comparing Obama to Vladimir Putin. Putin wins, easily.
Why is it that every time I see Putin in a photograph I think of Mussolini? Talk about looking like a dork . . .
Why is it that every time I see Putin in a photograph I think of Mussolini?
Because they are both narcissistic "men of action" that made the trains run on time? Just a guess. The progressive in the US were overtly in love with il duce. They learned their lesson about abject fawning during and after WWII. Now, as 2008 showed, they prefer fops that agree with them politically.
I guess you know Putin was hunting whales. And msm made a scandal of bear hunting
Why is it that every time I see Putin in a photograph I think of Mussolini?
Bald head + lack of shirt. Mussolini was notorious for being photographed shirtless.
But make no mistake: If there was a video of Putin hoisting a shot of vodka and singing The International, garage would probably swoon and pass out like a 14 year old at a Jonas Brothers concert.
Eh, not me. You guys are the ones swooning over a communist thug dictator, not lefties. Some deep masculinity insecurities me thinks.
"Nice Randy Normal jeans on the POTUS in both bike photos."
LOL. That never gets old.
I'm just noting the masculinity factor. I don't care for either guy.
On Twitter, just now:
libertys56 Drudge caption suggestion: Look at ur president. Now look at me. Back at him. Now back at me. Sadly, he is not me.
I don't see anyone swooning. Mentions of a badass here and there, but in objective terms, the guy was hardline KGB and survived. I think that's actually in the dictionary under hardass.
Anyone with a brain in their head might want to share a beer with this guy, but wouldn't want him anywhere within rifle range of the levers of power.
Historically, Garage, the left has loved dictators. The South American situation we see now bears that out and then some.
And you thought Jerry Lewis had stopped making movies.
Yaw-de-haaaayyy!
Mrs. La-dieeee.....
Anyone with a brain in their head might want to share a beer with this guy, but wouldn't want him anywhere within rifle range of the levers of power.
Speak for yourself, I'm sure you are correct, the Right would probably love to have a beer with this fascist. Again, not me.
Speak for yourself, I'm sure you are correct, the Right would probably love to have a beer with this fascist. Again, not me.
I don't know about you, Garage, but I don't mind sharing a beer with anyone that's got an interesting story or two, including the current resident at 1600 Penn Ave.
On a related question, Garage, since you brought it up, what exactly do you dislike about fascism? I know the reasons I dislike it, but I'm asking for yours.
reader_iam - I agree! Carry your own umbrella!
That picture says so much: Obama is distracted by the trivial problems of taking his wife out somewhere expensive while the poor people of the Gulf are waiting and waiting for help
It says nothing of the sort. They toured a housing project repurposed as mixed-income housing (most of the same project residents, with some cops, firefighters and nurses/EMTs - middle-class folks - mixed in). They then had shrimp po'boys at Parkway Bakery. Not expensive - it's a casual lunch and dinner joint where you line up to order, pick your sandwich up at a window, and find a spot at a table to eat it.
This post says so much: about the blogger's imagination and expectations.
You guys are the ones swooning over a communist thug dictator, not lefties.
LOL!
Speak for yourself, I'm sure you are correct, the Right would probably love to have a beer with this fascist.
Make up your mind, is he a commie or a fascist?
I guess if you compare Obama to Putin it brings the Reagan right out of garage!
They then had shrimp po'boys at Parkway Bakery. Not expensive - it's a casual lunch and dinner joint where you line up to order, pick your sandwich up at a window, and find a spot at a table to eat it.
Well after Martha's Vineyard that's damn near slumming it ;-)
I guess if you compare Obama to Putin it brings the Reagan right out of garage!
Back up, it's the right comparing Obama to Putin, and it's the Right that has a clear favorite, the thug depot Putin from Russia over the President of the United States. Glad we could clear that up for ya.
" HDHouse said...
No, Ann. No one misses Bush. Not now. Not ever."
My name must be "No One".
Well after Martha's Vineyard that's damn near slumming it ;-)
Ha! That's my old neighborhood, and while it ain't exactly a slum, it's sure ain't the Vineyard.
I was comparing O to W (the hottie, lol). Not Putin, who is not a hottie. Macho, yeah. In an icky way.
garage said: "You guys are the ones swooning over a communist thug dictator, not lefties"
Actually, Putin is no communist. Unlike Obama, he's not even a socialist. In fact, in 2009, Putin warned the US not to repeat Russia's mistakes and go down the path of socialism. And Putin's free-market policies certainly haven't hurt Russia: Since Putin came to power in 2000, Russia's GDP has grown an average 7% per year.
Garage - "Back up, it's the right comparing Obama to Putin, and it's the Right that has a clear favorite, the thug depot Putin from Russia over the President of the United States...."
Garage, that's deranged. NO ONE on the Right is comparing Putin to Obama.
Putin is a KGB thug, but he is a man, not a boy.
Obama is a Chicago apparachnik and a favorite of Leftist Elites, and a boy.
Putin was the badass who helped put a prostrate Russia back on it's feet.
Obama is Yeltsin without the binge drinking. A similarly venal, inept, but "inspiring" fool - who is out to make a jeopardized America into a prostrate America.
NO ONE wants a badass who puts the Russian people 1st in the White House.
What we do want is an American badass President who puts the American People 1st - Not endless grievance spouting American special interest groups, the "International Community" or "helping assuage bruised Muslim feelings and boosting Muslim self-esteem".
Sorry, Scott M.
I was being fatuous.
I find that it helps communication with Our Friends On the Left if you just roll with their depictions of Our Friends On the Right as jackbooted, racist, sexist theocratic Jesus freaks.
Obama is a strange alchemy of the 1970s: Jimmy Carter, Nixon, and now Gerald Ford.
Beth--
This post says so much: about the blogger's imagination and expectations
Doesn't everything?
Apologies if anyone's said this already - but when I think I've never seen anything stupider looking than metrosexual Obama in his various photo snafus, I think of John Kerry in a bunny suit (AND on a bicycle!) and Michael Dukakis in a tank with helmet. Obama vastly outdoes the others in quantity and variety of stupid snaps, though.
If this country survives him, there will probably be a very aggressive attempt to wipe all mention of him from history. That's an ever-increasingly large IF.
Garage - I'll respectfully ask again. What are the main things about fascism that you don't like. I'll once again state ahead of time that I'm quite clear about mine. I would hope that if you're going to include the word "fascist" when describing someone, you know full well what it means.
In the meantime, you can pick either "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
or
"Would you say I had a plethora of presents, Jose?"
Either are applicable. Both are hysterical.
Loooserrrrr! That silly bike helmet is for worry worts - I never have and I never will. And I know lots of people who have been hurt in various ways. Surprisingly, it didn't lead even one of them to wrapping themselves in foam padding for life.
"Do younger people know that back in the olden days, you could ride a bike without a helmet and without a spandex uniform?"
I've been riding a bike my whole life and haven't taken a spill since I was learning - which was the whole point of learning. And, if you ever catch me in spandex anything, Putin has permission to shoot me.
And since no one else has said it after all this:
"Memo to President: Grow a pair. The people will cheer if you act like a man."
"There is Putin going around Russia doing macho and manly things."
"I thought GWB was macho. And adorable. Yeah. Miss him. Though not really because of the macho stuff. Okay, a little."
Though I've taken a lot of flack for it, it's taken about 5 years for others to understand why I'd name my blog The Macho Response, but, from the sound of things, it seems to be getting clearer with each passing day.
If this country survives him, there will probably be a very aggressive attempt to wipe all mention of him from history. That's an ever-increasingly large IF.
God forbid we wipe the slate clean of his administration. We will need all of the tidbits that trickle out now, as well as the torrent that will rage after he's out of office, in order not to repeat them.
It will also serve as double-duty to keep the most left-leaning politicians in the wilderness for a couple decades while we (and I mean everyone else) cleans up the mess the Boomers are going to leave us, for ill or for not.
Prez is having another Three Stooges moment with that umbrella. For another one, go to news.yahoo.com and query News Photos for "obama" and "tisbury" and you'll see Obama and MO and some other guy all trying to go through a doorway at the same time. All that is needed is for MO to yell, "spread out!".
Look at the picture of Obama with the umbrella. The longer you look at it, the dumber that SOB looks. Not. A. Clue.
Here's a direct link to the doorway picture that I mentioned.
Garage, that's deranged. NO ONE on the Right is comparing Putin to Obama.
It's the title of this post, linking to Drudge, and also the title in a similar series of photos on Restate.com. So yes, they are comparing Obama and Putin.
There is voting in Russia, but not elections. Property rights are provisional subject to redistribution if conflicts with the state arise. Russia is ruled by people who own it - cabinet members and aides also serve on corporate boards - a mix of nepotism, patronage, and cronyism. Again, not surprising the Right has affection for a corporatist authoritarian leader like Putin.
Crack - if all our enemies suddenly became pansies, then we wouldn't need to be macho anymore. Of course then we have to worry about the aliens.
There is voting in Russia, but not elections. Property rights are provisional subject to redistribution if conflicts with the state arise. Russia is ruled by people who own it - cabinet members and aides also serve on corporate boards - a mix of nepotism, patronage, and cronyism. Again, not surprising the Right has affection for a corporatist authoritarian leader like Putin.
Aw, c'mon, garage! Not even a drop of that irony got on you?
Oh, well, never mind. I gotta go check my GM stock....
"No, Ann. No one misses Bush. Not now. Not ever."
That would be lie #1 - easily disprovable by all the "Miss Me Yet?" billboards and t-shirts. As a matter of fact, that t-shirt is outselling pro-Obama shirts, even in liberal areas.
"No one is really pining for Dubya, though."
Fine: I'll be "no one" if it makes you happy. (When will you guys accept that you lied about the man - or bought the lies about the man - for 8 years, but there are many of us who knew you were lying from the beginning?) It's fascinating to see - even at this late date when most of the lies have been exposed - how much you still buy your own bullshit.
I disagreed with about 90% of what the guy did and, yeah, I kind of miss him.
It cracked me up every time he expanded government power and the left howled about it.
I was not at all surprised when their ascendancy showed their only problem was WHO was in power, not WHAT was being done.
"The Right has affection for masculinity."
Fixed it for you - since you don't seem able to follow the conversation, or are willingly trying to lie it into something else for your usual purposes.
Didn't I just tell you we're on to you?
1. I have no idea what Obama's riding, but given the generally low level of this site I'd imagine Althouse would called what this guy is riding "unisex".
2. Why is Drudge promoting the leader of a foreign country over our own prez? Hate BHO all you want, but don't put Putin at a higher level.
3. The images and the reaction here and by Insty show yet again that the same desire for a Strongman that burns strong in Russia and burned strong in Iraq also burns strong in the hearts of many Americans. And, we should keep those Americans as far from the levers of power as possible.
Jon - "Actually, Putin is no communist. Unlike Obama, he's not even a socialist. In fact, in 2009, Putin warned the US not to repeat Russia's mistakes and go down the path of socialism. And Putin's free-market policies certainly haven't hurt Russia: Since Putin came to power in 2000, Russia's GDP has grown an average 7% per year."
And the Russian people love him like Americans loved Reagan for being a badass and making America stand tall again, with a booming economy in progress.
Last winter's conversation with Russians in Colorado on a ski trip - "America is close to where Russia was before our big calamity in the early. Your people in power are corrupt to the core. The powerful steal from the workers. You elected a master bullshitter. A narcissist. A nobody that gave you a thrill to put in office.. You need a Putin."
Obama stumbles? WTF? For all you know, he was goofing around with his wife. It's really idiotic to read such deep meaning into a photo of a snapshot moment in time.
All it reveals is Ann Althouse's twisted desire to attack Obama above all else?
And, do we miss Bush yet? Are you insane? He left the country in as freefall into the economic abyss. He ran up massive deficits after he was left with a budget surplus.
"cruelty neutrality," my ass.
Hey Alphaliberal.
Yeah, right.
Lonewacko.com - "The images and the reaction here and by Insty show yet again that the same desire for a Strongman that burns strong in Russia and burned strong in Iraq also burns strong in the hearts of many Americans. And, we should keep those Americans as far from the levers of power as possible."
Yeah, Strongmen like Washington, Monroe, Polk, Lincoln, Grant, Cleveland, Arthur, TDR, FDR, Eisenhower, LBJ, Nixon, Reagan.
In general, all worked out and not only accomplished big things - but left America better off than it was when they started office. Even Lincoln, if you think the Civil War had to be fought. Even LBJ and Nixon, with their flaws - were enormously consequential Presidents with majoraccomplishments.
Give me a Reagan over a Carter anyday. Give me a FDR over a Dubya. And give me a Nixon over an Obama ASAP.
Ha ha. Yes, it's funny how America's right wing swoons over Vlad Putin. They love a strongman!
Media Matters flags this approach by Putin which the right wing must also love:
In the Kommersant interview, Putin robustly defended police crackdowns on pro-democracy protesters in recent months. He said those who marched must obey current laws requiring them to seek advance permission from local authorities.
"If you get (permission), you go and march," Putin said. "If you don't - you have no right to. Go without permission, and you will be hit on the head with batons. That's all there is to it."
Alpha: I think you're right. He's cutting up with Michelle. You can tell from her expression.
Anybody else thinking of Osama's strong horse / weak horse comment?
Bike helmets don't work. People have brains, and compensate for them, accepting more risk by going faster, following closer, until they get to the place where they are at the edge of the risk they find acceptable.
If you can estimate that risk correctly, there is no change. If you make errors in the risk estimation, the bike helmets can cause greater damage than would otherwise occur.
My name is No One. I think Dubya is hot; it's what I thought then, and still do. I didn't like or agree with all his policies, but Dubya was macho and manly and gentlemanly to the nth degree. He made other countries fear us. I don't give a flying fig about whether other countries like us; I want them to know if they mess with us, they'll get their asses handed to them. Even while Dubya was saying soothing things to the Islamic world, he had our boys making a killing field of Islamic countries, politely, of course, with smart bombs. We had allies back then.
Now, we have a guy who set out to "repair" the world's relationship with America by apologizing and groveling to every tinpot dictator while insulting our allies. Worse yet, we went from a roaring lion to a frickin' pansy, in every major policy way.
So, if you don't miss Dubya, that's your business. I miss him. I don't miss his cozying with Democrats on legislation and his final fiscal moves after Obama's boss Soros manipulated the economy and destroyed it so Teh Won could win. But, when Dubya was POTUS, I felt proud to be an American overseas. Now I have to apologize and explain that I didn't vote for the wimp with the dorky headgear, wearing mom jeans, and closing his knees like a 16-year old who doesn't want people to see her underwear.
I miss Dubya most cuz he loved this country and never apologized for it. The wimpy dork? Hah!
Great link for the possible future President. My Man Mitch! He's my second favorite pick for POTUS 2012 after Mike Pence, also a great Hoosier.
Look for either or both of these great guys to make some news in the next Presidential election.
I didn't take Cedarford for the standard-issue RWNJ type, but I guess I was wrong.
What can I say about Bush that I wasn't screaming for four+ years? He not only played his own large role in the current situation where 14% of MX's working-age population lives in the U.S., he made a pledge to the MX people and the MX gov't to push amnesty against the wishes of the great majority of Americans. He's a traitor in all but the legal sense.
Althouse wrote: "It's quite possible that if you had video instead of a still, that Obama performed a deft maneuver lifting the umbrella high with one hand up and using the other to grab from the other side of the crossbar without missing a beat."
That's about as likely as Lord Zero simply teleporting through the fence like a quantum particle.
As to the umbrella. Seriously, it obviously isn't a huge downpour. I would have just walked through, waited for him to manuever the umbrella and suffered through a few sprinkles in the few seconds it would have taken to be under the umbrella again.
Is she that precious?
I just finished watching the video of the umbrella incident. Obama tried to throw it over the fence, but the wind caught it and hit Michelle in the noggin. Once she picked herself up off the ground, she kicked Barack in the nuts. Before he could get up, the Secret Service separated them. Gunshots were heard, then the video went dead.
Ha. I love that ALthouse put down "rain" as a tag. That's so "Althousian".
"And, if you ever catch me in spandex anything, Putin has permission to shoot me."
Dude. If I ever catch you in spandex, for darn sure I won't be passing on the pleasure of shooting you to that nasty old KGB thug!
Just sayin'....
'It's quite possible that if you had video instead of a still, that Obama performed a deft maneuver lifting the umbrella high with one hand up and using the other to grab from the other side of the crossbar without missing a beat.'
Good point.
' Michelle is ducking rain drops - you know about women and their hair - it might revert to its original state and give Imus something to comment about.'
Over the line. Grow up.
Don Meaker: Bike helmets most decidedly work. If your argument is that wearing them gives people a false sense of security you aren't a cyclist. Possibly a motorcyclist who insists that helmets don't help, in fact hurt because of peripheral vision, noise blockage, etc.
A loose bit of sand or gravel and a misplaced mailbox is all it takes to make a very healthy person not wearing a helmet into a dead person. Accidents are in and of themselves not predictable. One doesn't say, jeez I will certainly slow down up ahead on the curve because the wheels might go out from under me and I might hit my head on the mailbox.
If this doesn't resonate with you I expect you are a walker.
AlphaLiberal - "Ha ha. Yes, it's funny how America's right wing swoons over Vlad Putin. They love a strongman!"
So - all those 'Che' shirts on campus belong to Conservatives?
I'm talking about drawing a line in the sand, Dude. Across this line, you DO NOT...
That's a hugeass umbrella, and will not fit through the goalposts even if Obama jammed it down on his head.
Obama's trying to keep the two of them dry. The proper thing to do (difficult in any sort of wind) is to raise the umbrella over the bar, pivot and grasp it with the other hand, then proceed.
FLS: That is a doorman's umbrella. The first year I lived in Atherton CA back in the 80s it rained so hard and so long that I kept upgrading until I found the doorman model. Worked great.
The trick for the President was to partially collapse the umbrella, just enough to get through the door. It would have been plenty wide to cover them both.
'I'm talking about drawing a line in the sand, Dude. Across this line, you DO NOT...'
You talkin' to me?
I don't see anyone else drawing lines.
deborah,
Have you ever been tickled by an umbrella?
That's right. He should have said, "Fuck you, Michelle! I don't give a damn if you do get wet! I'm running to the scene of what was once a disaster under the previous president over five years ago. But getting there RIGHT NOW demands my immediate attention and I MUST RUN!"
Have you considered a hobby? I hear there are stories about pet goats to be leisurely read.
"LonewackoDotCom said...
I didn't take Cedarford for the standard-issue RWNJ type, but I guess I was wrong.
What can I say about Bush that I wasn't screaming for four+ years?"
Bhoooosh wasn't on my list of good strongman Presidents. But FDR and LBJ were. I dislike all 3 and the only big difference was FDR and LBJ were real strongmen that had real comptence and success - while Jr merely postured as a faux strongman.
Not a real strongman or leader.
I almost put Truman and Clinton on my strongman list - Truman talked tough, but contrary to moderm media enthusiasts of the guy - he was regarded at the time of the end of his presidency as somewhat weak and pathetic. Still holds the record for lowest poll numbers at the end of his Presidency. Clinton could have been a strongman but went all his empathetic, metrosexual, fake-weepy, "I feel your pain" shit.
So, no RWNJ me. Only partisans worry about purity and slavishly following the Party Line. I find some things Howard Dean, Pat Buchanan, Tom Pawlenty, Bernie Sanders, Mitt Romney say on a certain day - great stuff.
I think though, getting back to Obama, all parties agree. The Perfessor is no strongman.
The President should try to avoid all public dorkish moments even if it means not riding a bike.
That's one hell of a priority.
I calls 'um likes I sees 'um, blake. Sorry if that bothers you.
All you right-wingers are being unfair to our wonderful President. I think he should be give the same benefit of the doubt that the left gave Bush when potentially-amusing photographs were taken during his tenure.
You go right ahead, Deborah, I'm not the least bit bothered.
Not to my recollection, Allen.
' Michelle is ducking rain drops - you know about women and their hair - it might revert to its original state and give Imus something to comment about.'
Over the line. Grow up.
Are you sure you know which website this is?
@Althouse
There's also this way for a (future) President to look good with a bike.
That's how Harley lost it's cool..too many posers on an old man's HD.
You go to the big dogs for a cool ride...or the alpha dog hisself.
What's even funnier is that this is an obviously staged photo op that went awry.
The WH has been snake bit photo-wise lately.
*BARRY POPPINS*
President Urkel on the economy, "Oh did I do that?"
'Are you sure you know which website this is?'
Yes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_cdbByTeNE
Best snark on the topic.
>>>And.....he can't even master a freaking umbrella or figure out that he is riding a girlie bike.
Aren't there mountain bikes with the bar angled down like that so guys don't find themselves turned into a soprano when going up and over a particuarly high obscruction?
Chances are they rented bikes on Martha's Vineyard and that's the one he was stuck with. No big deal.
The umbrella photo, though...one does wonder what he was thinking.
Unlike the current candy-ass occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania, his immediate predecessor was one hell of a mountain biker: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/600155939/Mountain-biker-Bush-sets-the-pace-in-his-Tour-de-Crawford.html
Black umbrella, black gate, 1/2 black leader of the free world:
UMBRELLAGATE!
Too bad there isn't a terrorist head of state around for Him to bow to...thus he'd have to lower umbrella, allowing Him to pass through the gate.
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