In The Nation, Karen Greenberg discerns 5 Commandments Obama proclaimed when he came into office in 2009. (I know, to characterize Obama's principles as "Commandments" is to put him in the role of God, but this is The Nation, and there's no self-awareness about gazing upon Obama as a God, only disappointment that he wasn't enough of a God.)
Thou shalt not torture.
Thou shalt not keep Guantánamo open.
Thou shalt not keep secrets unnecessarily.
Thou shalt not wage war without limits.
Thou shalt not live above the law.
Based on what Obama has done, Greenberg offers a rewrite:
Thou shalt not torture (but thou shalt leave the door open to the future use of torture).
Thou shalt detain forever.
Thou shalt live by limitless secrecy.
Thou shalt wage war everywhere and forever.
Thou shalt not punish those who have done bad things in the name of the national security state.
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50 comments:
He seems to be missing everything.
Thou shalt community organize.
Before and after.
Community organize = get people to do something that leaves you slightly better off and everybody else much worse off.
They are sad at The Nation. As they should be. Moderates and lefties alike have discovered that their best wishes and greatest hopes have not been rewarded or fulfilled. The rearview mirror reveals what the more cynical among us saw at the outset. The suit is empty.
How do we know he has actually ceased torture?
The road to progressive authoritarianism is paved with lies.
Pretty spot on, by my lights.
"Community organize = get people to do something that leaves you slightly better off and everybody else much worse off."
Community organize = the basis of and the crucial ongoing necessity of self-government, (known in the parlance as "democracy").
Wah. A politician lied to me. Film at eleven. Perhaps Anne Hathaway could re-weigh.
Don't come crying to us that he turned out to be a fraud, Karen—we told y'all so, and buyer's remorse is unattractive.
"Thou shalt not live above the law."
Unless they are from my political coalition
Thou shalt have one God only; who
Would be at the expense of two?
No graven images may be
Worshipped, except the currency:
Swear not at all; for for thy curse
Thine enemy is none the worse:
At church on Sunday to attend
Will serve to keep the world thy friend:
Honour thy parents; that is, all
From whom advancement may befall:
Thou shalt not kill; but needst not strive
Officiously to keep alive:
Do not adultery commit;
Advantage rarely comes of it:
Thou shalt not steal; an empty feat,
When it’s so lucrative to cheat:
Bear not false witness: let the lie
Have time on its own wings to fly:
Thou shalt not covet; but tradition
Approves all forms of competition.
The sum of all is, thou shalt love,
If any body, God above:
At any rate shall never labour
More than thyself to love thy neighbour.
It's over lefties. You've lost. Quit fighting. It's war, secrets, torture, and more war. Forever.
This is your advice to us on the right, so I fully expect you to take your own advice.
Eric, first of all find some meds.
My favorite: "Thou shalt not torture."
But it's OK if I obliterate your smiling butt (along with any and all civilians)with a drone. It's what Nobel Peace Prize winners do.
"Thou shalt wage war everywhere and forever."
I smell a red line coming in the Ukraine. Or at least an orange line with a blinker.
> Community organize = the basis of and the crucial ongoing necessity of self-government, (known in the parlance as "democracy").
Communities and many community organizations are the basis of self-government, but community organizers in the modern sense are largely destructive.
Never confuse the label with the product.
She went a little light on the living above the law commandment. There are a lot more examples just around ObamaCare.
"Thou shalt not punish those who have done bad things in the name of the national security state."
When Bark was first elected, they were aflame with excitement over at Democratic Underground, certain that the dictator Bush would finally be prosecuted for his crimes against humanity. I opined that this was unlikely since, as President, Bark now had far more in common with GWB than with any one of the people that voted for him.
Haven't been over there in some time but I imagine they're still sitting around making excuses for him.
So did people actually -- actually -- believe he'd keep his promises?
I heard them all and thought -- well that would be nice, we'll see if it happens.
So how is what has happened been a surprise? A disappointment, maybe. But a surprise? Hardly.
Anne Hathaway in Get Smart (also 2008) is awesome.
The dismissive grimly competent feminist comes to admire the rookie who's at home with the job.
I haven't seen her other stuff.
Community organize = the basis of and the crucial ongoing necessity of self-government, (known in the parlance as "democracy").
It's more like shakedowns.
Euphemisms are there for a reason.
Anne Hathaway and I grew up not two miles apart.
Though when she was there I had long since left for Ohio.
The people don't want war everywhere and without limits, at all. People on balance seem fed up with the whole adventurism thing. Why that isn't showing up crystal clear in our policy is a question. As for torture, unfortunately it's hard to tell where Americans stand on that.
Hathaway has a weird wide public smile that she doesn't flash in Get Smart, where she seems normal.
Just talking about people more interesting than Obama.
Tricked ya!
Torture (Get Smart)
00:56:01 99: Did they explain to you how your belt buckle works?
00:56:04 Max: No, but the technology for holding up pants hasn't changed much.
00:56:07 -99: Max. -Max: Hey, what?
00:56:09 99: This one has a compartment. Inside there's a pill.
00:56:12 99: If captured, it would cause death in nine seconds.
00:56:15 Max: Great.
00:56:17 Max: But how exactly do I get them to take it? [99: no reaction]
00:56:22 -Max: Not much of a laugher, are you?
That being an instance of Max at home with the job, 99 being grim.
rhhardin said...
"Anne Hathaway in Get Smart (also 2008) is awesome. … I haven't seen her other stuff."
I had to go to confession after The Dark Knight Rises. ;)
Both Obama's ardent supporters and his ardent detractors have deified him. He's just a dude. Life goes on. It would be nice if people lowered their expectations of the presidency. Think more Calvin Cooldige and less The Mighty Quinn.
A few seconds afterwards, there's a scene of 99 walking away to do her half of the plan and Max steps out to watch her.
99 turns slightly and sees Max watching her, gives a well-get-on-with-it additional turn and both walk away.
A nicely done moment showing 99's interest in Max, that leads me to say she was great. The little things.
Hathaway should keep her clothes on.
She's interesting but not sexy, in Get Smart.
All the overt gags mock Max, in storyline formula from the TV Get Smart, but the hidden gags involve 99 and Max and sexual difference/feminism.
The corresponding story for Obama would have him in the dissmissive feminist role.
I don't know who his opposite would be.
"Thou shalt not live above the law."
Unless the other branches fail to agree with what I want.
Thou shalt wage undeclared and preemptive wars everywhere and forever. Thou shalt intimidate domestic opponents through executive actions.
Obama is not God. He is a mortal god. He will redistribute or rather recycle wealth. He will increase the cost of medical care and preserve the status quo. He will provide an illusion of fitness for the faithful. His followers sacrifice human lives to gain his favor and fill the government coffers. The Dodos will leave the kitchen and labor for his pleasure.
Thirty-four comments and no one's noticed that #3 is incomplte?
"Thou shalt live by limitless secrecy" for thyself, but no one else shall have any secrecy at all, here or abroad.
"Thou shalt honor thy father with books and avenge thy mother with ACA"
They didn't care that he was a no-accomplishment affirmative action hire, as long as conservatives wouldn't get what they wanted. So sad they didn't get what they wanted either.
She left out the very first one.
1. “I am GOVERNMENT, the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.
"Eric, first of all find some meds."
2/27/14, 3:21 PM
Remember Harrowgate, these are the people who swore Romney would win. Chuckle.
Inga said: "Remember Harrowgate, these are the people who swore Romney would win. Chuckle."
Untrue Inga. You need to visit the Harry Reid school of prevarication, you'd be an A student.
Thou shalt not live above the law.
===>
L'Etat, c'est Moi.
Cookie: "Community organize = the basis of and the crucial ongoing necessity of self-government, (known in the parlance as "democracy")"
Well, unless you're a member of some Tea Party group.
Or any conservative.
Then it's out with "truth to power!!" and in with "people who disagree with us are Unamerican!!" (thanks Harry Reid)
Every single thing the left lectures us about is complete, utter and inescapably BS.
Every. Single. Thing.
But only Every. Single. Thing.
Inga: "Remember Harrowgate, these are the people who swore Romney would win. Chuckle."
Remember Harrowgate, your side was the side that told us "If you like your health care, you can keep your health care."
We don't hear much "chuckling" over that.
For very good reason.
Uhm - folks - on Tuesday night Obama told a conference of OFA (his White House/Dem campaign wing) that they are doing "God's Work"
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/02/barack-obama-organizing-for-action-volunteers-103954.html
It's like we need an American Magna Carta concerning the Divine Rights of Kings - wouldn't you agree?
Good Grief. An American President telling his campaign arm they are doing God's Work.
IMHO this should lead ALL MSM news for days until we hear the POTUS back down.
PianoLessons,
Relax, it's just figurative speech (O doesn't really believe in God, other than maybe himself.)
althouse said:
"there's no self-awareness about gazing upon Obama as a God, only disappointment that he wasn't enough of a God."
Among Obama's failures, the list didn't include the botched rollout of Obamacare.
Despite their complaints, overall, I'd say their god has served them well. Obama is quite good as a human god. Obamacare alone will make his presidency historic.
They are sad at The Nation. As they should be. Moderates and lefties alike have discovered that their best wishes and greatest hopes have not been rewarded or fulfilled.
I don't think they are that sad. They never really believed in any of those things anyway. Just rhetorical props used to get into power.
Its going to be fun watching the historical revisionism once Obama is out of office. He is such an incompetent, but the first black president MUST be turned into the Magic Negro that led us out of darkness.
Not sure if that circle can be squared.
How do we know he has actually ceased torture?
I suspect he has. He simply kills rather than take anybody prisoner. He seems uninterested in intel on OTHER countries.
Now intel on Americans, on the other hand, is an obsession.
Not sure if that circle can be squared.
You underestimate the fiction-writing powers of the press.
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