Citizens of the World at the Olympics
Obama, like Socrates, announced in Berlin that he was a citizen of the world. We see many such citizens at the Olympics, but I am not sure I would wish to be counted among them.
There were the Chinese hosts, staging a Triumph of Will-like opening ceremony with Red Army soldiers, and computer-enhanced, Cecil B. DeMille backdrops. Tiny girls, some apparently with their baby teeth, were passed off as 15-year olds in the gymnastic competitions. A Newsweek or Time was not about to do an expose such a gargantuan Olympian fraud—not when journalists were muzzled or deported.
The utopian Europeans were, well, Europeans, eager to point out the pimple on the American nose, blind to the wart on their own. So the Spanish posed in group portraits with fingers pulling at their eyes, mimicking the Asian look of their Chinese hosts—just the sort of racism that they usually allege boorish Americans engage in.
Fast forward to beach volleyball. The Swiss duo, defeated by the Americans, were classic poor sports—Jan Schnider alternately whining, pouting, and bragging in the worst sort of showmanship. The French swimmers boasted, in empty fashion, of the defeat to come of the Phelps and the Americans. And so on. If we sometimes imagine that collective European utopianism and sermonizing are psychological recompense for rather self-indulgent, self-absorbed private lives, no better window exists on that than at the Olympics.
A Purpose Driven Obama on Justice Thomas
In tonight’s Rick Warren interview, I don’t know why Obama chooses to insult a Supreme Court Justice at a religious forum, but his comments that Justice Thomas was not qualified to be on the Court were revealing. Why would Obama think, given his own credentials, that he was better qualified for President than Clarence Thomas was for the Supreme Court?
As far as working at University of Chicago Law School, the real question is how is it that Obama, without any major publications, would be qualified to teach law at Chicago? There were literally thousands of law professors who would not be hired at Chicago, even as adjuncts, who had far more impressive records of scholarship than did Barack Obama. His other comments on the Court were incoherent: Roberts gave away too much power to the executive branch—but no examples follow as evidence (especially not the FISA laws!). Scalia is bright (after all, he taught at Obama’s Chicago, we are told), but he too shouldn’t have been appointed.
More on the Warren Interview—St. Nuance
One is struck by Obama’s postmodern worldview. There are no absolutes, just nuances and contexts that preclude certainty. Evil for Obama: “A lot of evil’s been perpetuated based on the claim that we were fighting evil.” Could he be specific where we have perpetrated “a lot of evil?”
Again, the gut instinct for Obama—whether talking about our “tragic history”, or the need for more “oppression studies” or evoking our sins in front of the Germans—is always to start out with the premise of a flawed America, rather than appreciation of the vast difference between us and the alternative. Never a word here about evil abroad, or bin Laden or Dr. Zawahiri. No, instead, we need humility about that “lot of evil” perpetrated by you know whom.
Somehow he is pro-choice, but anti-abortion, for man/woman marriage, but not in the legal sense, not for merit pay, but for rewarding good teachers—all this is in the manner he was against the Russians and for them while for and against the Georgians. His mushy responses were emblematic of the therapeutic style—empathy with everyone, judgment on no-one. We may soon be back to Jimmy Carter, paralyzed how to divvy up the White House Tennis Courts among feuding subordinates. He can’t say much pro or con on abortion, other than there is an ethical and moral element to the issue. And any of you who deny that, well are just darn wrong. He is against late-term abortion— but only if the mother’s life is in danger. And so on.
After watching some of this, I don’t think Obama will be having many town hall debates with McCain. However undeniable his calm and presence, he is simply incapable of extemporizing. A written transcript of this interview would be embarrassing, since it would be largely streams of meandering—and, but that, ah, you know, that, and, with uh, uh, I don’t think, ah, ah, that, that, I think, that, that, on, on, an issue…”
The Obama Effect
When Obama is asked a question he has not prepped for, he sort of goes into the spinning-eyes mode that one used to associate with the young Dan Quayle in his first weeks on the campaign trail. He knows he should not mouth his postmodern banalities, pauses, and then says something he knows simply won’t work. The wisest three people he knows? The first, of course, is his “raise the bar”, “downright mean” America, and “no pride in America” spouse Michelle. The second? His grandmother, whom he once told American was a “typical white person,” as he exposed her supposed racism. I’ll stop there.
America’s greatest moral failure for Obama? Poverty, racism, sexism—the same old race/class/gender mantra. As someone who just minutes ago walked out of the jammed-packed Selma Wal-Mart, in the poorest sector of a rather poor Fresno County, I would say a more likely moral failure is a sort of unthinking consumerism, where people buy things they don’t need with money they don’t have. I didn’t see poverty in the store there today, but a real poverty of the spirit, if the contents of the stuffed shopping carts are any indication.
Obama’s most gut-wrenching decision? Apparently as a state-legislator in a far left-wing district in Illinois, he opposed the war in Iraq! In fact, his “decision” had zero influence on anything other than his political livelihood in a ward of Chicago, where being anti-war was easy for a liberal politician in the Democratic Party.
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119 Comments
1. RuleTopia:Obama’s opposition to the Iraq war was not at all difficult for him then. That was the party line, after all. When he talked about decisions on abortion being “above his pay grade,” I actually think he’s right. I would say that most of the decisions a president needs to make are well beyond his pay grade, from the economy to foreign policy.
For such a “brilliant” man, he sure has a lot of foolish ideas.
Aug 16, 2008 - 10:44 pm 2. Dan:Professor,
Don’t forget to mention his fondness for passive voice, and his equal fondness for raising issues to a level of abstraction that enables him to affect an Olympus like aloofness.
What would Sherman or a Patton make of him?
Aug 16, 2008 - 11:52 pm 3. John K.:Brilliant analysis, as always, Professor Hanson! Obama’s postmodern worldview–grounded in moral equivalence–is the most troubling attribute for someone aspiring to the world’s most important job.
Aug 17, 2008 - 1:13 am 4. Pajamas Media » Barack Obama Disrespects Justice Thomas:[...] Read the entire story here. [...]
Aug 17, 2008 - 1:39 am 5. Dave II:If it wasn’t obvious before, it certainly should be now after that forum performance… making ANY hard decision as President would be above his “pay-grade”!
Funny…I never knew Obama had such a speech impediment before. He should really get that checked out before the “real” debates.
Oh, and just for the record, Victor, the reason you had to stop after Michelle and his grandmother as the first 2 of “three wisest people you know in your life and who are you going to rely on heavily in your administration?” (Yowza!! those are the first 2 for advice in his administration?!) is because he then mentions Sam Nunn and Tom Coburn (who he once compared to a terrorist in another debate!) as the FOUR wisest people!
Wow. What a sad and pathetic performance…
Must have been the “jet-lag” like the MSM is now claiming.
McCain simply mopped the floor with him tonight! It wasn’t even close.
Aug 17, 2008 - 2:19 am 6. RJ:Shadow boxer, a tough guy who punches the air, using words to drive his imagined opponent onto the ropes where our hero’s skills will pummel him into submission…what a dream!
Your Wal-Mart shoppers may also be part of the group who votes for this dream of a shadow victory over imagined demons residing within each victim.
Obama’s narcissism may be more potent than Bill Clinton’s.
“He put a spell on me!” Voodoo magic, my boy…seen it in ‘41 on the island.
Simple question: Does Obama have a set of balls, and if so, under what circumstances would he show them? A male question every male understands.
Aug 17, 2008 - 2:36 am 7. Dave II:Oh, and btw…since Michelle is now “officially” one of the “wisest” people Obama knows that he will rely heavily on in his administration…I guess that means we don’t have to “leave her out of it” anymore! Great…!
Maybe she can help him in answering multiple choice questions such as the question about evil. Do we:
…”ignore it, negotiate, contain or defeat it?”
Obama’s answer after much heartwrenching examples and calling for “humility” on our part:
“Confront it.”
Rick Warren was too polite to say, “Would you like me to repeat the answers?”
McCain got it right: “Defeat it!” No explanation needed.
Aug 17, 2008 - 2:40 am 8. pappy:thank goodness for this type of venue, the questions were not “in the bag” for either candidate. it gave a chance to see how they feel about subjects that they did not pick. also, they responded to the same questions which was more telling of their positions. no msm? didn’t miss ‘em. no “gotcha” moments. definitly very civilized for a change. mac scored one for the gipper, hands down.
Aug 17, 2008 - 3:21 am 9. SAF:I don’t like Hillary but she is much better than this dude as are many other democrats with experience and wisdom. How did he get here?
Aug 17, 2008 - 4:27 am 10. jeff:Senator Obama would not be where he is if it were not for his skin color. Geraldine Ferraro said that, and she is right. Obama is intelligent, he is well spoken, and all that goes with that. However, he has never been in an intense political race. Recall that when he won his senate race in Illinois, his opponent was Alan Keyes. The Republican party in Illinois is in shambles, and they really have trouble coming up with a strong candidate statewide.
He beat Hillary, barely, in the Democratic Party because he is to the far left. This appeals to the Dems base. As Shelby Steely correctly defined, “white guilt”, is responsible for a lot of the votes he received. He also received most of the anti-war sentiment.
Of course, the war in Iraq is over. Now that we have won, we are consolidating and helping the Iraquis to rebuild their country. The real war is in Afghanistan, and may move to Pakistan.
Obama is not ready to be President.
Aug 17, 2008 - 4:29 am 11. Broadsword:Obama is fool’s gold packaged in celophane.
Aug 17, 2008 - 4:49 am 12. Herr Morgenholz:I didn’t watch the forum, but in reading the after-action-reports here and elsewhere, it sounds like the Messiah appeared to the world with no clothes. Great exposure of what a lot of us already knew.
Bring on the debates!!
Aug 17, 2008 - 4:51 am 13. P.Harry:Obama is one muddled incoherent mess. Whether it’s his bumbling diction under pressure or when at a loss without a script, or having to establish arguments that truly require intellectual honesty and integrity - he just doesn’t cut it (sorry Obama supporters). He chokes when out of his comfort zone and out of reach from his liberal msm guardians. It’s obvious when this occurs he foolishly attempts to undermine the credibility of men and women who are far wiser and veracious than he is. He knows individuals such as Justice Clarence Thomas are measurably wiser, far more ethical and intrinsically understand their responsibilities to the nation they serve.
Barack a community agitator with little to no legislative and executive experience and who has promptly (mysteriously) advanced throughout his short career might expect to fool some people but not all. Lapping up blind adoration across the pond from European marxists and softies for ones own narcissistic pleasure do not maketh Obama wiser either, nor responsible.
Obama is his own undoing, no amount of scriptwriting, rehearsing, msm coddling and help from personal advisers can disguise his many shortcomings. It’s with little wonder as Victor rightly points out that Obama (and I suspect on the advice from the DNC too) will be avoiding as many townhall debates as possible.
Aug 17, 2008 - 5:09 am 14. Aztecwarrior:Obama hit a single while McCain hit a grand slam.
Aug 17, 2008 - 5:15 am 15. elixelx:No no no! Obamá’s stance on Iraq, his “one speech that he gave in 2002″ was NOT, repeat NOT, the party line at that time.
Aug 17, 2008 - 5:52 am 16. misanthropicus:Indeed Obama was a Maverick in the Democrat Party, but of course he wasn’t in the Senate then.
I’ve always wanted to ask Obama that, given the 83 senators, 300 something congressionals, the DOD, State, The CIA, MI5, and every single Intelligence agency worldwide supported going to war with Iraq, ON WHAT information, other than that provided by his pacifist/appeaser GUT did he nay say?
Is gut feeling then to be substituted for the best judgement of the pros in a (heaven forfend!) Obama presidency?
This boy is Hamlet–a tragic equivocator who, finding himself able to, will cause the deaths of all he loves, all he hates and his country!
A little manoevre here - going for Clarence Thomas, Obama tried to steal Ward Connerly’s thunder, in a manner that would satisfy both liberals, and those of anti-affirmative action persuasion.
Aug 17, 2008 - 5:56 am 17. DougW:(I leave aside the fact that Obama, judicial competence-wise (normally) would not be considered for a Supreme Court rating board).
Didn’t watch the “Saddleback” show much at all! First hour, something more interesting was on, second hour, Wifey and I went to coffee!
However, is it the time for an August surprise? Been noticing interesting articles on the web this weekend. One such article blurb on Drudge said that “Congressmen” might vote for Hillary at Denver! That coupled with the roll-call vote planned for Denver could led one to wonder whether the Big O has it in the bag for Denver?
Still, your article above seems on the money and the comments above do support that opinion.
I agree with your analysis of Obama, fact based as usual.
Aug 17, 2008 - 6:02 am 18. RJ:Ah, I’ve awakened from my slumber. When do Hillary’s people begin contacting the so called super delegates? I think her people saw the same performance many of us who have commented on the Prof’s thoughts post presentation last nite. Imagine the new sale’s pitch for Hillary.
But set this all aside. One man/woman, one vote. Wouldn’t the really smart candidate realize that if more people became active in their political awareness and responsibilities we all would be better for it?
If so, then how does that candidate communicate such a position?
Obama starts his game by suggesting he is like Christ and we are all natural sinners who must confront his vision first, then listen to him…Rev. Wright has made his mark!
Michelle along with Grandma have done their work too: Obama is below and is to remain below their pay grade!
Defeat evil. McCain has the right notion and knows evil when he sees it, up close and personal. Does he know it from a distance, even beyond the cockpit? Sounds that way to me.
J.S. Mill had this figured out some years ago.
I would rather have Justice Thomas, and those other guys who are too “constitutional” than those who think they are so much smarter than our founding fathers.
Narcissism can be the most evil. History keeps telling us this. Maybe the Bible suggests it too!
Batten down the hatches: This contest is going to get much rougher; there’s big trouble ahead! Real danger awaits…
Aug 17, 2008 - 6:17 am 19. TomJW:His meanderering still sounded better than Teddy Kennedy’s. That’s about as low as the bar can be put.
On Pakistan, I hear he’s already at war with them.
Aug 17, 2008 - 6:30 am 20. Chance Haywood:I can not wait to see the first commercial with the” above my pay grade” quote in it. That is a line that should seek any candidate for office.
Aug 17, 2008 - 7:01 am 21. Chance Haywood:I can not wait to see the first commercial with the” above my pay grade” quote in it. That is a line that should sink any candidate for office.
Aug 17, 2008 - 7:02 am 22. Irene Stupple:I hope you had a chance to watch this. This format surely showed the differences in the candidate, McCain decisive to the point, Obama words, words, words.
Aug 17, 2008 - 7:03 am 23. always right:Sir,
You forgot to mention that Obama is pro-military, but his made his pledge to gut it ‘in his administration’.
If you have any doubt,
Aug 17, 2008 - 7:14 am 24. Fred Beloit:Watch it in his own words
One’s arguments on any and all issues depends on one’s premises. It is quite clear by now that one of Sen. Obama’s main ones is that America was and is a bad country populated by bad people. How can anyone want to make a President out of someone who’s thinking starts off that way?
Aug 17, 2008 - 7:26 am 25. thomas:Obama proved he is not prepared in any sense to lead this country. Anybody who votes for him after seeing the comparison must be drinking the leftist Kool-aid
Aug 17, 2008 - 7:28 am 26. Donna:It’s nice that Obama’s grandma is one of the wisest souls he knows, despite the fact that she’s a typical white person who makes racist comments.
Undoubtably, Obama thought that audience would respond warmly to fuzzy Hallmark Greeting card sentiments.
My first thought was that if Michelle and granny are really the wisest people he knows, he led a rather sheltered existence at Harvard.
Aug 17, 2008 - 7:54 am 27. daledog:Jeff,
Aug 17, 2008 - 8:00 am 28. nc28105rp:Can we all stop with the, “Obama is intelligent, Obama is well-spoken” mantra? He is neither of these. It seems to me that many people say this as a way of blunting their criticism of him. After all, we cannot be too critical of BO can we?
Overall….even though the spin doctors say Obama was thoughtful (that’s what Democrats now call hemming and hawing), and McCain was pandering (that was Democrats call precise/directed answers)………..
OBAMA was the proffessor with political theory, pondering, humming and hawing while he struggled to come up with vague answers, while McCain came across as the leader with real life examples, solutions to today’s issues, a political realist.
OBAMA was the novice with some ‘ideas’ while McCain was the statesman who has been in the trenches, with experinece, skills and knowledge.
OBAMA is wanting to be one of the many in the world, McCain knows America is a leader, who will be in the front leading the world.
OBAMA wants to confront evil with humility, while McCain is ready to protect and defend the nation.
OBAMA is pro-choice but anti-abortion, (takes me back to Kerry’s campaign) while McCain is pro-life, anti-abortion, pro-adoption, steadfast in his beliefs
OBAMA is pro-military but anti-war, so does he really believe in having a military? McCain understand the role of a Commander in Chief in todays perilous times
OBAMA is opposed to evil, but will deal with it in humility but against torture which he will recommend we endure with hunility? McCain is for protection of his country and its people.
OBAMA is against Clarence Thomas, who he says is not experienced, I guess it takes one to know one! McCain is for justices who uphold the constutution
OBAMA is against prostitution and human trafficking, but against punishing these law breakers. McCain is for a better America, not afraid to say we will punish lawbreakers
OBAMA is against designing embryos for stem cell research and human cloning, but not sure, umm, hmm, McCain was very engaged in other options that will address the need for solutions
OBAMA is pro-international community, but will not take action because we need everyone to like us!!
OBAMA is against children becoming orphans, but has many theories on why this happens in the world. McCain lives the answer to solving the orphan problem.
So the question is…
Aug 17, 2008 - 8:01 am 29. Michael:“Do we want to be an experiment in the hands of the proffessor, testing his theories”? or
“Do we want a leader who understnad the world stage and our role in it”
So maybe the ultimate coup in information warfare would be to hijack the teleprompter.
I wonder how far along he would get before he realized that he’s been had?
Aug 17, 2008 - 8:09 am 30. Doug:Another column from a right winger who can only tear down. Jump on whatever Obama says, and claim it proves he is unqualified/narsisistic/racist/weak/shallow/upatriotic/not black/not white.
Aug 17, 2008 - 8:15 am 31. LionRor:OK, great. Now please tell me how McCain, with his plans for wars against any and all, would be a better man to lead America. Please tell me, oh great and wise right winger, how McCain will fuel our aircraft carriers with middle eastern oil, paid for by borrowing money from China, to go to war against Russia. Please explain how Americans will benefit from that kind of “leadersip we can believe in”.
I’m a middle aged white guy, with money. I should be a knee jerk Republican. But give some some solid arguments in favor. What’s McCain’s strategey for getting Detriot back on track as the automotive capitol of the world? How’s he going to get the deficit under control, and why is his plan better than Obama’s? What are we going to do about pesticide runoff killing Marine life? Does McCain have a plan? Does Obama? Yes? No?
These “political” columns are more like comedy bits. Who are your 3 favourite wise people. Sheesh.
RE: Rick Warren’s Forum - McCain so obviously loves the USA “as it is” - it comes across in the emotional specifics that undergird his anecdotes and I empathize with him. Shouldn’t true love include this acceptance of what is? So, what really bothers me about Obama is his apparent lack of deep love for the USA as it is now; his constant deferring of our country, by posing how great it will become if he is put in charge. This arrogance devalues those who have already sacrificed for our country. Oh yes, he mentions his grandfather (typical white person, I suppose) perfunctorily, but includes no emotional specifics in his delivery. He tailors his response for TV cool. This tells me that he has no real personal connection to his words; they are just the words of a lawyer crafting a posture to win. I want a President who loves this country NOW.
Aug 17, 2008 - 8:18 am 32. Rotwang:jeff — Let’s both play that game: Senator McCain wouldn’t even be in the Senate if he hadn’t been the son of an admiral, shot down, imprisoned and later married an heiress. Certainly, he’s no leader, and he has the knee-jerk, jingoistic foreign policy instincts of Gen. Jack T. Ripper from “Dr. Strangelove.” He’s as empty a suit as any, and he proves it by pandering to the Christian Right, a group which he initially disregarded and, on occasion, attacked.
As for the Iraq war being “over” and “won,” I’m just going to have to assume that you have a rather minimalist definition of victory. Nice of you to notice, though, that the “real war” is still in Afghanistan. With Russia in Georgia, we need that Unocal pipeline more than ever!
Aug 17, 2008 - 8:30 am 33. PAClinger:What was for me scary is that Obama got more than one standing ovation when presented and after. I do not recall McCain getting one. I saw McCain up close and personal at a Townhall here in PA. What struck me was that his past orthopedic hell was so patent. And yes, here in gun land he got more than one standing ovation. Who are these “Christians” at Saddleback?
Aug 17, 2008 - 8:55 am 34. David Thomson:“Senator Obama would not be where he is if it were not for his skin color.”
This is the understatement of the year. I strongly suspect that Barack Obama did not initially consider himself to be a serious candidate for president. This was supposedly Hillary Clinton’s time to be the star attraction. Obama merely wanted to raise his image within the Democratic Party. His resume is embarrassing slim. Obama should not expect to be a viable candidate until maybe 2016. But everything changed in Iowa. The guilt tripped white people of that state provided him with a decisive victory. The rest is history. I am somewhat reminded of the scene in “The Candidate” where at the very end of the film the Robert Redford candidate asked his campaign manager the question: What do we do now? Obama is not even close to being ready for prime time.
Aug 17, 2008 - 8:57 am 35. jp:RJ:
“Does Obama have a set of balls?” Put it this way — Jesse would have been too late.
Aug 17, 2008 - 8:58 am 36. TLM:“How did he get here?”
That would be the $64,000 question. As Obama’s performance last night shows, the Democrats have surely gambled on the wrong candidate. Unbelievably, they continue to misinterpret what the majority of Americans want in their president. Like simple answers to straightforward questions. Obama’s equivocating responses do Bill Clinton one better. While many Americans are unhappy with some of the decisions made by The Decider, George Bush, I doubt they’re willing to return to the days of group therapy decision making exemplified by Clinton’s presidency. We know where that got us, and this not the 1990’s. If Obama wins, like Clinton he’ll prove to be a very divisive president.
Obama’s moral relativism is staggering. If he were merely pandering to the Democratic Party faithful, who seem to conflate morality with Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, Obama could be excused as being just another politician. His problem is his whole life’s story seems full of moral ambiguity. He should have stayed at University, where one can make a career out of playing existential games like what’s “Good and Evil”. Duty-Hornor-Country may be a more simplistic approach to life, but it is not a bad mind set for a president to have.
If his autobiography didn’t clue you in that Obama has a narcissistic fascination with himself, his answer last night regarding his greatest moral failure should. Selfish preoccupation with himself as a teenager/young adult? Well, I’m not so sure he’s over all that. I hope admitting the obvious was therapeutic for him. Personally, I could do without another president (c.f. Clinton, Bush II) using the White House as a prop to resolve some personal identity crisis. Better to elect an old man who got over that a long time ago. Actually, I suspect McCain never had that problem, or if he did, his North Vietnamese jailers beat it out of him 40 years ago.
Obama told the Rev. Rick Warren that “we still don’t abide by that basic precept of Matthew: that whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me. That basic principle applies to poverty. It applies to racism and sexism…” He should have stopped at poverty, which is what the Apostle Matthew was was referring to, I believe. Sexism? For many, Obama’s pending nomination is itself evidence sexism is still a problem in our society. And, of course, Obama after hemming and hawing all night goes into default mode: let’s not ever forget to mention racism, reminds our post-racial candidate. So while the marauding remnants of the Alani pursue ethnic cleansing in South Ossetia, he would have us focus Bill Clinton-like on our own ethnic disparities. I guess he has to play the hand he’s been dealt. And that is the only issue he sees in black and white, without any moral ambiguity — or inconsistency — whatsoever.
Aug 17, 2008 - 9:00 am 37. TLM:Duty-Honor-Country. I have to correct that typo.
Aug 17, 2008 - 9:33 am 38. Roger L. Simon » Saddleback: Acknowledging McCain:[...] Obama was ineffectual and ill-informed. (Others have said Barack is infected by reactionary post-modernism. I’m not so sure I would give him that much intellectual credit. It might be simply be [...]
Aug 17, 2008 - 9:37 am 39. Ron Kean:The black man is the best runner. (Take that, Adolf)
The white guy is the best swimmer. (Spitz was whisked out of Munich)
The girls are young.
I like the Iron Cross the best.
But I haven’t been watching. I finished Douglas Feith’s book. And then I read the review in Commentary. In the last week somebody new came out and disparaged him about lying or forging. I have no interest in Bremer’s book or Tenet’s. But I hope Rumsfeld comes out with one and Wolfowitz too.
I bought Corsi’s book before the left and the right slammed him. I bought it so I guess I should read it. Maybe not. I glanced over the 41 page rebuttal already. I already know who I want to be president.
I sell nick-nacks and chaachkes to Wal-Mart. The very things you say people don’t need. I would rather my income entail the profound but… Who would have guessed how much we needed the internet or cell phones or microwave ovens before they came out. Many times a luxury after 3 months becomes a necessity. CB radios flashed and died. Somebody’s got to bring new stuff out to see if it flies.
Aug 17, 2008 - 9:43 am 40. fmfnavydoc:Every time I see Obama on TV, my opinion of him is just solidified - he’s an “empty suit”, looks good on stage, can talk to people, but does not have an original thought or idea. Without his teleprompter in front of him, he becomes a confused, almost babbling fool. He’s a product of his Democratic Party/Chicago handlers - “Hope and Change the masses to death, that’s how we’ll win!”
This is a man that has no business leading this country, or a business for that matter…when the pressure is on (i.e., 9/11) we need someone that will have the balls to make the hard decisions, not a waffler.
Aug 17, 2008 - 9:44 am 41. S. O'Hara:For the first time since Obama and McCain captured their nominations, I think McCain is going to win. First off, despite being a quarter century older than Obama, McCain came across as more energetic and passionate. He also came across as an executive, while Obama came across as a professor. Don’t get me wrong - when Obama finished his interview, I thought he’d done well, but McCain really nailed it. He has a clarity and a core which are going to help him in the general election. I think a lot of the MSM still doesn’t realize how Obama’s more nuanced approach actually sounds to most Americans.
Aug 17, 2008 - 9:48 am 42. Sarah Bellum:Good Lord! What an embarrassing performance by Obama. I’ve read a couple of times in the MSM that he was “analytical and nuanced.” I guess that’s how our media refers to someone who is not ready for prime-time.
Let’s see…who should be the advisor to our next President: Michelle Obama or David Petraeus? And, what else is above this guy’s pay grade?
Aug 17, 2008 - 9:49 am 43. Chris:I begrudgingly watched last night’s forum with low expectations that we’d learn much of substance form it. Was I ever wrong! Obama came across as calculating and lacking depth on a myriad of topics while McCain showed he is far preferable to the affable but inexperienced One.
The world is far more black and what (good and evil, if you will) than Obama is prepared to acknowledge. McCain proved that he is willing to make the tough decisions while Obama is more than willing to parse, disect and ultimately equivocate to those who mean our nation nothing but harm.
The picture the majority of voters who watched are likely to come away with is of an Obama leaving the negotiating table with Putin or Ahmadinejad and having to explain why he had his lunch money stolen by the junior high bully, again.
Aug 17, 2008 - 9:54 am 44. Chris:ABove should read “black and white”. Preview! Where’s the preview?
Aug 17, 2008 - 9:57 am 45. kelley:Even with any negative baggage that McCain has, he showed one thing last night: he can make a damn decision. And he knows his own mind. I was going to vote for him anyway, but now I’m going to work for him.
Aug 17, 2008 - 9:57 am 46. Rubicon:Extemporaneous interviews like this always expose the poseurs. I do not mind his inability to compose a full sentence w/o such special terms as, uh, well, um, etc.
Aug 17, 2008 - 9:59 am 47. CFB:However, for a man we are told is “brilliant”
he obviously did not take or do well in any public speaking sessions, nor did he display an ability to “think on his feet.”
Now I know why he will not do the “Town Hall” type debates McCain called for. Such would expose him & his plans, or lack thereof. Such would expose his vacuous ideal’s and would show that his dependence on specific individuals for advice, shows an incredible failure to understand the world or the problems we face.
In short, Obama is NOT ready for this office, is not really qualified for the one he holds, and that he should have probably stuck to state politics where he could speak to select crowds that love to hear the victim rhetoric Obama is so good at delivering.
I really hope and pray the Saddleback meeting will mark a decisive turning point in the race for President, when Obama was finally forced out of his spider hole and into the light of day.
We must “confront” evil? And then what? Let evil tell us its deeds are all our fault, and then we retreat to atone for our imaginary sins?
That’s the pattern of Obama and his handlers and supporters. While the real evildoers who are causing the problems — the teachers’ unions, the abortion absolutists, the Russian apparatchiks and the terrorists, to name a few — continue to have their way with the rest of us.
Aug 17, 2008 - 10:05 am 48. CFB:Rotwang:
Perhaps you’d like to try facts rather than sarcastic hyperbole when trying to make an argument here. This is not the Democratic Underground, where you’re vituperating to the choir.
“Let’s both play that game: Senator McCain wouldn’t even be in the Senate if he hadn’t been the son of an admiral, shot down, imprisoned and later married an heiress.”
John McCain would not have been shot down and imprisoned if he had not been serving his country in the highest way possible. Serving the country impresses voters. Interesting how that works. Also interesting how cause and effect only goes back far enough to prove the hateful and untrue point you wish to make, rather than expose the truth of the matter.
“Certainly, he’s no leader, and he has the knee-jerk, jingoistic foreign policy instincts of Gen. Jack T. Ripper from ‘Dr. Strangelove.’”
1. John McCain has been leading men since he was 18 years old and he has led them in conditions few Americans have ever had to face. He has been leading in the US Senate and House of Representatives for almost 30 years. You can tell he’s a leader because he’s probably the most famous senator in the Senate after Teddy Kennedy. Why? Because he’s actually passed legislation, which requires leadership. It requires convincing others to support you. I don’t know what your definition of leadership is, but whatever it is it’s wrong.
2. As for your “Dr. Strangelove” analogy, nice try. I can certainly understand why, after last night, you would want to demonize Senator McCain and make him look like an extremist. That’s because his opponent came off like someone who has absolutely no interest in defending this country from its enemies, which is the number one mandate of the President of the United States. Who is it, again, who’s supposed to be playing on the fears of the American people? You’re terribly sophisticated to be able to reference a profound and influential work of art like “Dr. Strangelove,” however. I’m sure Obama could make the same reference. Maybe he should run for president of the Pretentious Film Society instead.
“He’s as empty a suit as any, and he proves it by pandering to the Christian Right.”
I believe Senator Obama showed up to the forum last night as well. Which shows how interested he is in getting votes from the Christian Right, because he usually can’t be bothered to show up and actually answer questions unless he can pre-screen the audience.
“With Russia in Georgia, we need that Unocal pipeline more than ever!”
Are you suggesting that we should not protect the sources of the energy that makes our lives possible? Are you arguing that Unocal or the US government are the cause of the death and misery in Georgia at the current time? Or are you suggesting that the only reason why the US is in Afghanistan is to provide mercenaries to protect a pipeline for an oil company?
I would not want to live in the world if I were as cynical, as hateful, as paranoid, as negative, as suspicious and as morally, spiritually and intellectually bankrupt as you appear to be.
I don’t think those are the qualities that elect a President in this country, but hey, I could be wrong. Maybe there are indeed a lot more unfortunates like you out there than I know.
Aug 17, 2008 - 10:29 am 49. Len Frankel:Notice the MSM has been pretty quiet the day after, still trying to pigeon-hole this show as “Obama, McCain vie to win religious votes” (Reuters), even though millions of average American heathens tuned in. Maybe it was too late for today’s hard copy editions, or maybe it’s Sunday, but I think there’s another reason. In the first side-by-side demo we’ve had so far McCain blew Obama out of the water and Pinch Sulzberger is in shock.
Aug 17, 2008 - 10:53 am 50. Anna Keppa:I remember when Nixon came back from a vacation during a presidential campaign. His aides made sure to point out that he was “tanned, rested and ready”.
But Obambi: he’s tired!!!
Aug 17, 2008 - 10:58 am 51. Rachel Peepers:Here’s a simple (yet popular) blue-eyed school girl’s response to the brown eyed handsome man’s performance last night.
Simply awesome.
Barack put in stark perspective the difference between having a Carteresque equivocator dash America apologist comma post modern Blame-America-First knee jerk in the White House versus a steely willed, level headed, clear thinking, courageous, if-need-be warrior assume the job of commander in chief.
Take it from me boys and girls, the Obama clan that was running at best a Chinese-fire-drill of a Presidential campaign was breaking out all over in the stench of a loser’s BO with every blurred stance Barack muddled so pathetically, maybe even pathologically, through.
If America ever wanted to see clearly the difference between the kinds of leaders they’ll soon be voting for, well, gang, they got a 20/20 view last night in that house of worship. And what they saw in the beautifully tailored though empty suit of Barack Obama was no Messiah.
As I see it, if you want some kind of incoherent administration elected, if you want to be as far from Ronald Reagan as you can get, not to mention Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt (take your pick), Truman and Kennedy, then your flat screen TV showed you the face of the man to cast your ballot for in living color. The good Senator Obama.
What was watching Barack like for me metaphorically speaking?
Well, it was watching no Jackie Robinson.
It was poor Billy Buck letting the ball go through his legs in the World Series. It was Ralph Terry throwing the hanging slider to Maz in the 60′ Series. It was Jackie Smith dropping the Super Bowl pass in the end zone (and my dad’s a huge Jackie Smith fan). It was Sergio Garcia missing another 3 foot put in the PGA championship. It was Rosie O’donnell making a fool of herself on The View claiming the CIA was involved in 9/11.
It was the highly defined picture of an ultra liberal, ultra intelligent Harvard law grad being taught a lesson in right from wrong that he’ll never forget, by a man who lives the creed of every cadet that passes through the hallowed halls of the United States Military Academy.
Duty. Honor. Country.
John McCain was born to embody those words. And as long as he has a breathing and a metabolizing, this Annapolis graduate will live them.
Barack Obama is not in the same league. Sometimes, I don’t even think he’s on the same team.
Masquerading as if one has the character and courage to be President can only take you so far. Last night the gloves were off and so was the mask. The acting job was good for awhile, but over time it’s wore thin as tissue. Steep and Nicholson have nothing to fear from Barack.
Even worse for Barack, this performance was much more than falling and skinning his campaign knee. I’m afraid not even David Axelrod has the strategic or tactical Tide to remove these stains.
It was as if the candidates were both thrown into a bleach filled verbal washing machine. And the truth came out.
Sorry Barack. Game. Set. Match.
As the heretofore anointed one awoke this morning, in the distance he must have heard a mournful tone. Not a car alarm. Not the clang of train tracks. Not a dog barking. Not far off thunder.
More like a bell. And who does that bell toll for, Barack? It tolls for thee.
Illia iacta est. Or as they say in south Philly. The die is cast.
John McCain will be your next President.
Aug 17, 2008 - 11:14 am 52. Anna Keppa:@CFB: what you said.
And did you notice the reference to “that Unocal pipeline”, the mythical pipeline we supposedly went to war in Afghanistan for, the one Boosh supposedly threatened Taliban “diplomats” with annihilation obver well BEFORE 9/11, the one that would have to pass through lawless northern Pakistan to get to the sea? That’s the kind of addled world Rotwang lives in.
p.s. Doesn’t “Rotwang” sound vaguely like a horrible social disease???
Aug 17, 2008 - 11:15 am 53. Elroy Jetson:New campaign slogan for Barry….
Aug 17, 2008 - 11:24 am 54. c.j.ammenheuser:Indecisive? So am I. Vote for me!
Excellent article.
I think, that in the past six months, The Greatest Moral Failure of Rick Warren, and the Christian evangelicals, is the issue of tolerance.
There is now a newly established principle that the ‘typical white person who clings to their guns and religion’ has through shame become tolerant and embraces the religious Black Theology as being equally Christian with Christian values. The burden of shame has compounded to the point that if one cannot embrace it, is a failure of your charachter, and even though you never were before, now you are an intolerant bigot and unpatriotic if you can’t embrace Black Theology..
This same group of Christians who respect Black Theology and the goddamned America sermon, can not embrace Mormonism because it is not Christian. They will not support Mitt Romney because the hatred is that deep.
America is a country founded on religious freedoms. We are constituionally created with the principle of a divided church and state… that said, these evangelicals at best are hypocrits.
McCain was correct years ago when he said evangelicals were intolerant.
Aug 17, 2008 - 11:24 am 55. Linda Strickland:It cost McCain the nomination then and it cost Mitt Romney the VP or any nomination this year.
IMO, as for moral courage, Romney and McCain hold the bar higher than Warren.
About the standing o’s for O. I doubt that Saddleback was profiling the people who came to the venue. As I understand it from their website, it was open to anyone.
Aug 17, 2008 - 11:27 am 56. ZEITGEIST:Which would make me suspect that the standing o’s were coming from Obama supporters who were savvy enough to get out there and get tickets (free) and be first in line. Probably a lot of move-on.orgers, or Daily Kos Kids.
Trolls in other words.
I thought the format was the most revealing I’ve seen in Presidential politics. No doubt about it McCain came off as sincere and honest whereas Obama came off like a human mobius strip. No matter how you look at him you see what you want and it just loops around and around. At first I thought it was not good that McCain was coming on second, but afterwards it proved to be a providential (if I may say) turn of events. McCain was by far the more presidential of the two. Now we have to suffer through three presidential debates moderated by Obamaites.
[...] DAVIS HANSON on Obama’s disrespect for Clarence Thomas. “I don’t know why Obama chooses to insult a Supreme Court Justice at a religious forum, but his [...]
Aug 17, 2008 - 11:28 am 57. Occam's Beard:Einstein, aircraft carriers are nuclear-powered, and have been for decades.
You must be on the short list to be Obama’s SecDef.
Aug 17, 2008 - 11:33 am 58. Mombam:CFB - thank you for your clarifying response to Rotwang. I, too, was concerned about how McCain would do last night - in fact, contrary to MSM conventional wisdom, it was McCain who ’soared’ — I just hope that many ‘undecideds’ watched this. Agree with an earlier comment - I am now genuinely ‘excited’ about McCain’s candidacy. And to those who have not yet read “Faith of My Fathers” - it’s riveting and inspiring. Read it!
Aug 17, 2008 - 11:37 am 59. Re: Inexperienced | PAWaterCooler.com:[...] Victor Davis Hanson has the same take on Obama that I did. Somehow he is pro-choice, but anti-abortion, for man/woman marriage, but not in the legal sense, not for merit pay, but for rewarding good teachers—all this is in the manner he was against the Russians and for them while for and against the Georgians. His mushy responses were emblematic of the therapeutic style—empathy with everyone, judgment on no-one. We may soon be back to Jimmy Carter, paralyzed how to divvy up the White House Tennis Courts among feuding subordinates. He can’t say much pro or con on abortion, other than there is an ethical and moral element to the issue. And any of you who deny that, well are just darn wrong. He is against late-term abortion— but only if the mother’s life is in danger. And so on. [...]
Aug 17, 2008 - 11:40 am 60. jdwill:The self-debating philosopher vs. the fighter pilot. One never lands on an answer, the other shoots first and considers the question on the move.
Who do you want Putin thinking about when he plans his next Caucasus move? I think the election could come down to this question.
I watched twice:
http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=280492-1
Pastor Warren is a genius. He not only gave us a great controlled experiment to evaluate the candidates, he advanced the evangelical agenda and served notice to complacent Republicans that they had better compete.
Aug 17, 2008 - 11:41 am 61. Minerva:Obama: I know who I am! I’m the dude playing the dude disguised as another dude!
Aug 17, 2008 - 11:44 am 62. FreedomLover:I was an unenthusiastic McCain voter before last night. I am now an enthusiastic one. The defining moment for me was McCain’s “Defeat it!” contrasted with BO’s moral equivalence on the question of evil.
If BO is a Christian, how does he deal with this from the New Testament: (I Peter 5:8-9) “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”
This addresses both the questions of evil and of persecution, neither of which BO answered emphatically. Christians believe in specific evil that must be defeated, not vague shared-guilt pathologies that just need group therapy sessions.
Aug 17, 2008 - 12:22 pm 63. Jeffrey S. Neher:Brevity is the soul of wit. We are all dumber for having heard the messiah speak…….and when nuance and ignorance get to a hundred dollars a barrel, I want the drilling rights to Barry’s cranium….
Aug 17, 2008 - 12:41 pm 64. Koblog:My wife’s view of Obama: “He’s a junior life guard.” Has a concept of the theory, but not exactly the one you want jumping into the waves to save you from drowning.
Aug 17, 2008 - 12:43 pm 65. Koblog:I second Mombam: Up until last night, I was seriously worried about McCain’s chances. Then I saw him in action and remembered his speech four years ago at the RNC Convention.
I was thrilled then (when I said to my wife, “I could vote for this guy!”) and I’m thrilled again. McCain wiped the floor with Obama and they they weren’t even in the same room together.
I’m actually ready to donate some money to McCain.
Obama better figure out a way to get out of the debates. It’s clear why Obama has chickened out from his “anywhere, anytime” promised to debate McCain.
While Obama has been carefully packaged like the glamorous but shallow rock star he is, and kept from both public and journalistic investigation, John McCain has been taking all questions from citizens and journalists (hmmm…yes…I guess I don’t believe most journalists consider themselves citizens) until he is honed sharper than a two-edged sword.
Obama pushes questions aside with “I’ve answered eight questions, now go away” and “Can’t I eat my waffle?!” and “Leave my wife out of this.” And a willing and adoring media acquiesce.
McCain exhausts all comers with, “Any more questions, guys?”
John McCain is ready. Obama is not.
The Dems put the wrong guy up. This is going to get interesting.
Aug 17, 2008 - 12:57 pm 66. Roark:The Messiah chose Clarence Thomas because Clarence Thomas is at the opposite political spectrum of him. Obama=socialist amoral statist wingnut, Thomas=liberty defending man of character and virtue.
Aug 17, 2008 - 1:00 pm 67. Dave:Professor VDH,
What do you mean by ‘poverty of the spirit’, ‘judging by the contents of people’s shopping carts’?
By what criterion do you judge the relative richness of the human spirit? Is it having fewer material goods but better books in the library? Or is somebody who is ‘rich in human spirit’ the kind of person who looks down on or feels patronizing pity for those who buy toys for their kids in a low price store?
I agree completely with your views on Obama, but this little dig gives me an unnerving sense of your own confidence in your moral superiority over people who are like me. I shop at Wal Mart, and sometimes I buy things I don’t need. I am fortunate to have been born in a country where opportunity and freedom have combined to see to it that I can buy something I don’t need, and I simply don’t understand how you can put a blanket of judgment over a generality like that.
I hope and pray that someday everyone everywhere can buy things they don’t need. Until then, I hope you are not ever in charge of deciding what I need.
Dave in Texas
Aug 17, 2008 - 1:05 pm 68. Richard of Oregon:BO doesn’t like Clarence Thomas because he is a traitor to the cause and to the party. He is Benedict Arnold, only much darker. Clarence Thomas unforgiven and unforgiveable. Since I am a conservative, though not black, I, too, am to be reviled among BO’s family and friends. Still, because I am not black, I’m not hated as much as Justice Thomas. It’s simple old fashioned racism, with a dollop of class envy thrown in for goood measure.
Aug 17, 2008 - 1:12 pm 69. rrr:Unfortunately, CFB, you’re lengthy response was missed by people like Rotwang with their fingers stuck firmly in their ears going “lalalalalala!” Assuming they started reading, they’ll never make it to the end. Criticize anyone’s messiah and they will not have ears to hear.
Aug 17, 2008 - 1:26 pm 70. Frank Parkerson:I wonder when these “citizens of the world” will get it through their heads that nations act in accordance with their interests, not based upon whether or not they “like” you.
I wasn’t surprised by Obama’s trashing of Clarence Thomas. When you don’t follow the pack, the pack turns on you. Thus with Justice Thomas. Come to think of it though, I can’t recollect any brilliant opinions by Ruth Bader Ginzburg recently either.
Aug 17, 2008 - 1:46 pm 71. barrybarryquitecontrary.com:RJ “Narcissism can be the most evil. History keeps telling us this. Maybe the Bible suggests it too!”
RJ – You’re right, the Bible absolutely does suggest it when describing the Prince of Darkness himself, Lucifer. His problem wasn’t that he was spectacular in appearance; the problem was that he knew it! Therefore, as the Bible says, “Pride comes before a fall” from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows.
To continue with your boxing analogy, I quote turn of the century pugilist Robert Fitzsimmons “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” I think this may be more accurate since Barack Hussein Obama is shadow boxing but the world is throwing real punches.
Professor Hanson – Are you being vetted for VP? It just makes sense to me!
Secondly, Junior Senator Obama’s response to the “ 3 wisest people” question was probably the most consistent answer I’ve heard from him when you keep in mind that he really wanted to say “Well, Rick, I’m glad you asked that question, I think I am the 3 wisest people I know. Me, myself and I; the trinity we’ve all been waiting for.” Since even the messiah couldn’t get away with that, he started off with 2 people that he can still take credit for.
Lastly, can anyone give me a good reason why 3 supreme narcissists like Barack, Hillary and Bill (4 if you include Michelle) would NOT put Hillary on the ticket? Narcissists love the infighting that would be present in the administration and I would bet my meager existence on the fact that Bill & Hill have made the case that they are BO’s only hope.
I personally think all 3 narcissists (+1) are working on shocking the world at the convention with Bill announcing Hill as the VP. As far as the infighting goes, I’m sure that once BO convinced Michelle he could win with Hillary on the ticket all he had to tell her was “Baby, I’ll let you verbally slap her around anytime you want since you’re one of the wisest people I know.” I’ll bet a big fat dollar that was all Michelle needed to hear. Call me crazy!
Aug 17, 2008 - 1:49 pm 72. Blogging Andrew's Liveblogging of Saddleback Mountain O!:[...] VDH provides a nice post-mortem. Posted by Dan Collins @ 7:12 pm | Trackback Share This [...]
Aug 17, 2008 - 2:00 pm 73. barrybarryquitecontrary.com:VDH - I got this one!
Dave asked, “Professor VDH, What do you mean by ‘poverty of the spirit’, ‘judging by the contents of people’s shopping carts’?”
Addressing the conspicuous consumption that rages unchecked in every Wal-mart, K-mart, Sam’s Mart, Ted’s Mart etc. across this country has nothing to do with moral superiority. VDH is simply stating a fact of human existence; material obsession directly correlates to spiritual poverty. They are diametrically oppossed. Everyone gets it but you Dave. Are you feeling a little guilty for buying all that stuff you don’t need. Maybe what you need is a spiritual friend and a hug instead of one more trip to Wally World!
Aug 17, 2008 - 2:11 pm 74. Ace:After the debate, I thought to myself…
What if this venue had been held at Trinity United Church of Christ, Barack Obama’s church of 20+ years, and Jeremiah Wright was the one asking the questions?
What questions might have been asked of the candidates?
Aug 17, 2008 - 2:31 pm 75. Wayne:Doug,
Putting aside the fact that our carriers (except one) are nuclear powered (yes the rest of the Navy needs oil, as do the other services), the need for oil is the reason for more domestic drilling and the exploitation of shale oil, etc. as well as expanding our use of other energy sources. That is McCain’s position, but is not (putting aside recent ‘pivots’) that of Obama.
As to putting Detroit ‘back on track’, that is not in the portfolio of the President. Any President. Detroit (both management and labor got themselves into this mess and will need to get themselves out of it. If you want the President to invalidate labor contracts, demand the firing of senior executives and generally take over control of the industry, then you are advocating a clearly flawed economic policy (see, for example the industrial policy of the National Socialist German Worker’s Party ca. 1933). Otherwise, you are simply asking for a massive financial bailout, paid for by individual taxpayers and other industries. By picking a ‘winner’ in any one industry, the government would necessarily impoverish the rest of us.
Getting the deficit under control will require restrictions on spending - something that is inherently under Congressional control. The past 40 years has proved conclusively that raising taxes will not reduce the deficit. Even lowering tax rates (which has resulted in greater government revenues every time it has been tried in my lifetime) does not work - giving members of Congress more money in hopes of lowering the deficit is equivalent to providing booze to an alcoholic in an attempt to bribe him into sobriety.
Pesticide runoff? Ever hear of the EPA? The Clean Water Act? Actually, fertilizer runoff is a more serious problem and it is currently being regulated extensively. The idea that this is a major policy issue confronting either candidate is fatuous.
Finally, the issue of ‘three wise people’ is an indication of a candidates values and intellectual depth. Including his grandmother might have been a good (perhaps trite, but certainly excusable) answer if he had not previously written her off as a “typical (meaning racist) white person” when he was trying to excuse his close and enduring relationship with a viciously racist and anti-american preacher. Overall, the answer to that question showed clearly a lack of intellectual depth (one can be smart without being deep) and a value system that is, at best, confused.
Aug 17, 2008 - 2:49 pm 76. Paul M Hupf:Senator Obama is out of his element. He cannot handle extemporaneous questions without some preliminary hesitation to make it possible for him, he hopes, to gain his bearings. We cannot afford to have such a man as president of this country. He is a Marxist at heart. That is the substance of his candidacy.
Aug 17, 2008 - 3:31 pm 77. JL:A couple things struck me about Barack Obama’s answers. (There were more… but hey… I type slowly.)
He is pro-life and pro-choice sort of both. He wants to decrease abortions. 2 part follow up question possibility by someone in the news media (since Warren wasn’t grilling, he was just asking …):
Part 1 — Since you didn’t want your girls, if they inadvertently got pregnant, to be “punished” by an unplanned baby, which position does your answer represent and why?
Part 2 — Since some babies survive abortion attempts why did you vote let them die instead of caring for them? Which position is that?
Another question goes to Barack Obama’s core values. Warren asked the 7 year old’s question again: “Why do you want to be president?” Obama replied (words to the effect…) that his mother would get mad at him if he was ever mean.
THAT’S why he wants to be president of the United States of America?
The USA is “slipping” (implicit — getting mean) and he is mad at us — and wants to make us stop? What’s that got to do with bringing people together to find solutions? (An elaborating comment of BO’s.)
Newsflash: The world isn’t a playground and we are not involved in a world community bonding experience whereby we come to a consensus and agree that being mean isn’t nice and we should give each other a hug and make up and everybody must be happy.
Barack Obama wants to be president of the United States of America because his mother would get mad at him if he were mean?
This explanation is like a bad car accident — I have to keep looking to see if the wreckage is really there.
Aug 17, 2008 - 3:34 pm 78. usmcret:In my most humble opinion, this boy is not man enough to be the leader of anything let alone be responsible for the national security of our nation. As a retired USMC officer and combat veteran of Viet Nam, Obama wouldn’t be qualified to be a squad leader in an USMC platoon, l
Aug 17, 2008 - 5:28 pm 79. usmcret:In my most humble opinion, this boy is not man enough to be the leader of anything, let alone be responsible for the national security of our nation. As a retired USMC officer and combat veteran of Viet Nam, Obama wouldn’t be qualified to be a squad leader in an USMC rifle platoon, let alone the Commander-in Chief. How the hell did we get to where we are? The Democrats must be looney tunes!!!!
Semper Fi
Aug 17, 2008 - 5:31 pm 80. cedarford:Wayne - Getting the deficit under control will require restrictions on spending - something that is inherently under Congressional control. The past 40 years has proved conclusively that raising taxes will not reduce the deficit.
Supply-sider brainless voodoo-drivel. Nixon raising taxes helped lower the deficit. Clinton’s tax hike in 1993 was on it’s way to giving surpluses in 2000 before Bush, his tax cuts for the rich, his reckless green light on Republican spending saddled the US with 3 trillion in debt and 500 billion annual deficits made permanent.
A disaster.
The rich and their lickspittle lackeys who claim low Federal income taxes are a Jesus-based right are always careful to frame their argument in just the income part of income tax - and ignore that the rich pay less in total taxes and gov’t fees for each dollar they make than the working poor and the middle class.
After 90K, the rich get a free ride of SS with holding. Local fees and taxes amount to under 2% of the dollar the wealthy get, but can be 10-15% of a lower wage earners dollar. And hedge fund managers and execs get a sunstantial part of their dollars NOT from income, but at the far lower capital gains rate. And with huge writeoffs and new tax loopholes, that, under the Republicans, are returning us to the 70s and early 80s era where a substantial portion of the rich avoided any semblance of paying a far share of their tax obligations.
Aug 17, 2008 - 6:15 pm 81. marc in calgary:Was Barry an affirmative action hire at the University of Chicago?
if he didn’t publish? what else could explain this?
Aug 17, 2008 - 6:26 pm 82. Obama/McCain Saddleback Debate … When Asked Whether Evil Exists Did Obama Just Say the US was Evil? | Scared Monkeys:[...] Pajama Media: Obama Nuances [...]
Aug 17, 2008 - 7:01 pm 83. Ravalli County News » Blog Archive » Reaction to the Rick Warren Saddleback Faith Forum:[...] Victor Davis Hanson: “I don’t know why Obama chooses to insult a Supreme Court Justice at a religious forum, but his comments that Justice Thomas was not qualified to be on the Court were revealing. Why would Obama think, given his own credentials, that he was better qualified for President than Clarence Thomas was for the Supreme Court?” [...]
Aug 17, 2008 - 7:23 pm 84. barrybarryquitecontrary.com:Wayne - Superb! All I can say for Doug (and cedarford) is slice & dice & make julienne fries. It was a Ron Popeil Chop-o-Matic moment.
cedarford - So if raising taxes not cutting spending is the answer when will the government have enough taxes? You’re a socialist nut job that thinks your circular reasoning will solve the world’s problems. Here’s another question for you; what do you think people who earn income do with that income? Maaaayyyyyybe they invest it or maaaayyyybe they spend it. Your reasoning is flawed at it’s very core that the government knows how to spend OUR tax dollars better than we do. Nice try! Why don’t you try spending the rest of your days with the ChiComs or the resurgent communist Russians (soon to be New Soviet Union) and let us know how your socialism works out. Don’t Tread On Me!
Aug 17, 2008 - 7:44 pm 85. CFM:Obama is not fit to lick Justice Thomas’ boots.
Aug 17, 2008 - 7:54 pm 86. George Clarke:“How did he get here?”
The silly party attracts, well, silly people.
Aug 17, 2008 - 9:19 pm 87. idov:Obama supporters are now suggesting that McCain “cheated.” I can’t believe someone said that. Even a guy running for alderman in a village has to be able to tell the voters where he stands on issues clearly and unequivocally. Let him do it in a halting and incoherent manner like Obama and he won’t get elected. It’s one thing to give a set speech full of empty platitudes to 200,000 Germans most of whom don’t understand English, and read off a teleprompter like a robot in the rest of his meetings, and it’s another like McCain who answers tough questions day in and day out at town hall meetings. Since when is being prepared and well tried in the field “cheating.”
Aug 17, 2008 - 9:35 pm 88. cubanbob:Cedaford I’ll trade you my vote in return if you pay my taxes. First why should the rich pay social security taxes over 90k if they will not get any additional benefit for the favor? Second a large number of the rich are self employed or own the business. In which case they are paying not 6.2% on the 90k but 12.4% Medicare taxes of 1.45% don’t have a cap (x2 if self employed or the equivalent of owning your business). Let me see I have already paid in 200 grand in social security taxes and still have another 18 years to go. That doesn’t include medicare taxes. That’s only the taxes I paid for myself as employee and employer for s.s. If I add in what I paid as employer over the years for my employees it is well in to seven figures.
I don’t see why I have support a parasite like you. As long as its one man one vote I don’t see why I should pay more than you. The government does nothing more for me than it does for you. Pay your share and stop whining like the little Klansman that you are. When you pay your share of the per capita spending then you can speak, otherwise STFU.
As for Obama, the man is a joke. He is running for the wrong job. With his voice, teleprompter skills and youth and looks (according to the ladies) he ought to be auditioning for the anchor slot on the network evening news. Much better pay, better long terms career potential and great perks without the the real 3am dramas to worry about. When Hilary, another worthless candidate is much more solid and credible than Obama its apparent the democrats are going to go over the cliff. If an old man like McCain who is hardly Mr. Excitement is roughly equal in the polls now, its all over but the crying for Obama. The only question is if the democrats lose again this November after losing three times when they had it all in their favor finally learn to ditch the commies and crazies and once again be a viable contender. Obama can’t win. McCain however could foolishly blow it.
Aug 17, 2008 - 10:07 pm 89. Angelica:I, too, was thrilled with McCain’s performance last night. I was intending to vote for him, primarily because I’m scared to death of Obama. Now, however, like others, I am far more enthusiastic about McCain’s potential presidency. I, too, am hoping that last night was the beginning of an ascendancy for McCain.
I’m terrified about Obama’s international politics, his moral stance on both abortion and marriage, his economic policies, etc. The thing that scares me the most about him is that he doesn’t seem American to me. I realize he is an American by birth. I also realize that the scuttle about him being Muslim is a pack of lies. Still, in my 67 years, I have never known a candidate for President who seemed so removed from all that I have known as American.
I have always thought of Hillary as one of the most wicked women I know of who is not behind bars. And I think she would have been dangerous to this nation. However, I would have felt safer with her as the Democratic nominee because, wicked or not wicked, I felt that she was American (in her allegiance and perspective). I don’t have that assurance with BO.
Aug 17, 2008 - 10:23 pm 90. cedarford:It puzzles me how so Obama’s campaign is able to raise so much money since it’s hard for me to believe that people who have earned a lot of money would be so in favor of anyone who planned to double the capitol gains tax.
Poor, rich Cubanbob -
You, like many self-righteous rich pricks, instantly assume that anyone that has deep concerns about unfair tax loads on US citizens or the inequalities in income approaching levels not seen since before the start of the Great Depression must be communists.
No, I’m conservative. An entrepreneur with a great side business, real estate income, and a technical profession that rewards me well for my engineering, MBA degrees and my hard works and talent.
But I am also someone that listened up when Warren Buffett and others pointed out the US tax system is skewed to reward the rich with pork and subsidies, while also taxing them much less on each dollar earned than the middle class. Buffett used the example of his Fed income taxes vs. those of his salaried executive secretary - who paid 40% more in Fed income taxes than Buffett did even without the loopholes, hedge fund havens, “business” expenses in cars, “work vacations”, club fees, that other rich suck up…
Its quite simple, IMO. You are free to earn what the job market and your talents say you should get. That may be a million a year. But I believe that after a deduction for necessities of life and kids that each person should pay an income tax that works to achieve parity in what each American pays in total taxes on each dollar earned after that “necessities” level. If a 40K a year WalMart supervisor pays out 33% in total local, state, FICA, and Fed Gov’t fees and taxes on each dollar earned after a “necessities” deduction, then certainly someone making 25 times that much can afford a total tax load on each dollar THEY earn.
The fiscal mess that Bush and the supply siders created, plus the usual Dem entitlement mongers - has made this argument moot. There will be a painful fiscal recovery that will involve both spending cuts and tax increases.
Aug 17, 2008 - 11:25 pm 91. The Rabid Republican:Again, Dr. Hanson, your astute ability to say what we are all thinking all the whilse pointing out the painfully obvious is always an experience. Obama is clearly unable to decide on the direction of this country, let alone decide the direction of his own beliefs.
Aug 18, 2008 - 1:04 am 92. Right Wing Nation » The Ten Ring:[...] And Victor Davis Hanson has an excellent analysis of Obama’s answers here. [...]
Aug 18, 2008 - 3:10 am 93. ReCon USMC:Obama only said ”Exactly and Naturally ” what all of his Teachers ,Wife , Mentors , friends , Socialist ,Two Commies , Marxist ,ACORN , Fellow Activist and Rev would say about Judge Thomas .
Aug 18, 2008 - 6:08 am 94. Mike:IS ANY ONE ON EARTH SURPRISED ?
The Wolf eventually had to DROP the in Sheep’s clothing HOAX .
Boy did he ever !
Omama is a through back to the 60ies and nothing more than with a touch of Black Liberation , M. X , African Racial Marxist/Moslem Nationalism .
HE makes Progressism /Liberalism look like childs play in comparrsion .
I went to cnn and msnbc websites and seen how it’s about 4 to 1 in favor of Obama. “He was thoughtful, insightful” McCain was “direct, used stump responses, knew questions ahead of time”. I’m telling all of you that this country is going insane and we will be electing Obama for president. The damage done by the MSM and people who get their news from Letterman, Leno and Comedy Central is great. Get ready for Carter Part II, usually the sequel is worse than the first.
Aug 18, 2008 - 6:39 am 95. Bailey Yankee:It just occured to me that we are using a term incorrectly, particularly when describing Obama’s answers during this interview. It wasn’t “moral equivalence”. Rather, it was “moral ambivalence”.
Aug 18, 2008 - 8:02 am 96. Cornhead:Obama the lawyer and law professor.
1. How come there are *no* interviews with his classmates at Harvard Law or students at the University of Chicago?
2. What *exactly* did he teach? Constitutional law or some “gender and race” course?
3. His vote against confirming Roberts and Alito is, to my mind, disqualifies Obama as President. The test for a Senator to vote to confirm a Supreme Court Justice is not whether you think you agree with him on politics and how he will decide future cases, but does the person have the skill, fairness, intelligence, judgment and demeanor to sit on the Supreme Court.
In retrospect both Alito and Roberts should have been 98-2 votes.
That’s the procedure that used to be followed before the Dems politicized to a new degree the Supreme Court with the Bork hearings.
Barack doesn’t have a clue.
Aug 18, 2008 - 8:14 am 97. ReCon USMC:TO cedarford:
Aug 18, 2008 - 8:19 am 98. Commentary » Blog Archive » Obama’s Error Has Legs:{Then } based on your Collective Socialist thinking .
Why is Europe on Life support while they pay a lot more in Taxes than America does .
{But } Ireland lowered their Corp TAX to 12.5 % and their economy is the best it has ever been in their entire History .THAT is why they don’t want the Euro !
Mr Buffett pay’s himself out of Capitol gains at 15 % BUT he could pay himself out of income taxes and then a Capitol gains taxes as well . Plus he could send the Federal Govt. a Billion or Two more a year since as you he thinks bigger Govt is the answer to help the poor and middle class.
WHAT you left out of your Conservative bashing is the bottom 50 % of all Tax payers pays 2.9 % of America’s taxes and gets back 21.3 % .
YOUR REAL-ESTATE and liberal side said — the middle class neeeds loans …. What yourside didn’t say was how they were not going to be able to pay it back when reality set in .
You probably goulged your self on those Nasty Profits as well on those that could not afford expensive housing but you sold them anyway .
[...] as I and others noted, the gaffe tells us more about Obama’s character and level of civility than [...]
Aug 18, 2008 - 9:28 am 99. moreland:The author writes: “I don’t know why Obama chooses to insult a Supreme Court Justice at a religious forum, but his comments that Justice Thomas was not qualified to be on the Court were revealing.”
When Obama expressed that opinion, Rick Warren should have quipped: “Senator Obama, this is especially curious in light of your supporting affirmative action,” just to throw it back in Obama’s face, not, in any way, to denigrate Justice Thomas, who I, personally, revere.
Aug 18, 2008 - 12:31 pm 100. iowavette:Watching Barry O while contemplating the many slams made upon “W” for his lack of speaking ability was the height of irony, hypocrisy, you name it by the MSM. After decades in business, I can tell you that the slick speaker may get the promotion but can struggle to get the job done. With “W”, there was never any doubt in my mind that he meant what he was saying, and that he would follow through with action. This cannot be said for BO. He wants to be president but doesn’t have the strength of character to hold the position. My new bumpersticker came Saturday: Experience Counts - NObama.
Aug 18, 2008 - 1:58 pm 101. Brian:That Forum just gave Mccain the presidency in my opinion.Obama fumbled on abortion and the definetion of marriage,while Mccain was straight and clear.Obama has no idea how these old crackpot russians think.(or maybe he does).Mccain knows very well as he said when he looked into Putins eyes he saw K-G-B,as did i.I was surprised by CNN analysis right after the show that seemed quite favorable for Mccain.Did i imagine this or did it actually happen?LOL!
Aug 18, 2008 - 2:11 pm 102. TLM:I suspect anyone cross-referencing Obama’s answers to some of Preacher Rick’s questions Saturday, comparing them to his previous statements and his books, would conclude that he is intellectually dishonest. Are we to believe Reverend Wright, the man who brought a young agnostic Obama to Jesus, the influential mentor he extols in “The Audacity of Hope”, is not one of the three most important people in his short life.
Obama missed his calling in life. He mistook his ambition to change the world as the necessary, and sole, qualification to be an effective president. He is unable to convincingly answer, for himself, the BIG questions in life that we all wrestle with. For him, such questions always require an intellectual discourse, followed by some sort of convoluted expostulation. Try to appease everyone if possible, but no real answer. He should be an academic, a writer, whatever. We’re not electing a philosopher-king to be president.
Aug 18, 2008 - 2:33 pm 103. tanstaafl:Why would Obama think, given his own credentials, that he was better qualified for President than Clarence Thomas was for the Supreme Court?…the real question is how is it that Obama, without any major publications, would be qualified to teach law at Chicago?
Barack Obama is hardly qualified to pass judgment on Clarence Thomas’ legal/judicial credentials.
Aug 18, 2008 - 2:36 pm 104. lp:I thought it was only me going insane. What the heck is going on here. CNN - MSM Andrea Mitchelle - Keith Oberman and the like have once again turned black to white - fact to fiction - right to wrong. How is it possible these people, who are supposed to be honest reporters of news con so many. God help us all.
Aug 18, 2008 - 2:53 pm 105. GAD44M:Empty Words,
Empty Lives
Aug 18, 2008 - 3:35 pm 106. lee:I never realized Justice Clarence Thomas was popular among conservatives. I thought that honor went to Thurgood Marshall - or do I have the two mixed up?
Aug 18, 2008 - 3:43 pm 107. Ken:Actually, Rotwang, like most of the D&D wing of the Demonrat Party, has absolutely nothing to fear from social diseases.
Now, fungal rot from improper hygiene in, er, sensitive areas…that’s another matter.
Aug 18, 2008 - 9:35 pm 108. SukieTawdry:His “mushy responses” are emblematic of the equivocation he has practiced for the whole of his adult life. It’s been said that Bill Clinton wanted everybody in the room to like him, appreciate him, stand with him and he would use the full force of his (alleged) charm, (alleged) charisma and personality to make it so. Obama prefers the blank slate approach, striving to reflect back the feelings and beliefs of whomever he’s engaged with at the moment, an enviable skill, perhaps, for a politician and one he’s honed to an art form. But now he’s expected to go on the record as decisively as possible about his policies and beliefs. A tough transition, no doubt, and one he seems so far incapable of making to the extent necessary if he wants to be elected. I recall when Mark Steyn tagged John Kerry with “Nuancy Boy.” Kerry had nothing on Barack Obama.
And then, of course, there is the business about his needing to conceal his post-modern, far-left orientations. Oh, if only he had been allowed to stick to his teleprompted changey hope/hopey change…but even that’s wearing thin, very thin.
Aug 18, 2008 - 10:07 pm 109. George Best:Obama is just the latest poster child for a country that is filled with an ever increasing population of people who hate those who are successful, want to blame others for their failures, want others to pay for their lives, and who simply follow others without using any independant thought.
When we go through phases of unsatisfaction in this country despite our lives being as blessed and as comfortable as they have been in our history. If our anger correlates with a Presidential or Congressional mid term election, Democrats always seem to be on the verge of getting someone or a group of people to be elected to leadership positions. Look at the pathetic Congress we have had for the past two years. Those people cannot achieve a thing but are in office because people are mad for no real reason.
Obama isnt qualified to do anything but be a newscaster. He has achieved everything because of the color of his skin and has made alliances to perpetuate that success. He is like John Edwards in that he thinks he can do no wrong and that people fawn over him because he is speaking, not because of the substance of his words. This leads them to expose themselves on a national level and people see what they are. Getting elected Senator in state with no conservative base is not a big achievement with the Chicago racist Democrats behind you because you are black, not because you are qualified.
If he gets elected, it will be simply be because of timing. Anyone who has watched him and knows his history realizes he has not one ounce of Presidential qualification. However, angry and ignorant people dont vote for leaders because they are qualified. They want change even if they dont know what change is and if previous change they voted for lead to no change at all.
The longer the process continues, the more we get to see what Obama is about and that he lacks qualification for the job. But that has nothing to do with why people like him get elected President.
Lets just hope that Obamas pathetic performances will cause people who werent enthusiastic about McCain to make more of an effort to vote for him rather then stay on the sideline because the conservative movement is a little stagnant. I know I will make sure I get out to vote for McCain.
Aug 19, 2008 - 6:51 am 110. Obama smears Justice Thomas - Page 17 - The Political Hotwire:[...] Supreme Court Justices at Saddleback Forum - America’s Election HQ VICTOR DAVIS HANSON on Obama’s disrespect for Clarence Thomas. "I don’t know why Obama chooses to insult a Supreme Court Justice at a religious forum, but [...]
Aug 19, 2008 - 10:12 am 111. Rosemary:I thought Obama’s comments about Justice Thomas was pandering, and oh such a cheap pandering it was.
Aug 19, 2008 - 1:13 pm 112. Malcolm B.:@Frank Parkerson. “I can’t recall any brilliant opinions by Ruth Bader Ginsburg recently either.”
Frank, there are none. And should you be of the view that Thomas cannot produce (or has not produced) a “brilliant” opinion, I refer you to his dissent in Kelo v. New London. You be the Judge!
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/04-108.ZD.html
Aug 19, 2008 - 6:49 pm 113. Javelin:Yes we must fight evil everywhere all the time with no quarter or holding anything back cause we are shining vessels of absolute goodness that the Lord himself(none of this girly goddess stuff) annointed to bring paradise to earth with our weapons and martial skills.
Aug 19, 2008 - 10:40 pm 114. TLM:/modest neocon realist mode off
The ineptness of McCain’s early campaign strategy must have been a trap set for the Democrats. They were led to believe they could nominate a nobody, have their candidate expose himself nationally in any appropriate forum (as George Best notes) and still win the election. Go for the racial candidate who professes christian humility coupled with Chicago-style politics, pawn him off to America as our redemption for GWB and our “tragic history”, then walk away with the election hand-in-hand with a unified left-leaning United States Congress. If they win this gambit, Americans will have been remiss in their duties as citizens, of this country, to correct the Democratic Party’s delusional thinking. And if they lose?
Aug 20, 2008 - 5:42 am 115. Pops in Vienna:I think minds (if you can call them minds) were made up a long time ago. Obama’s followers are more than willing to drink the Kool-Aid. Flip flops, bad public performances will not change their minds in the least. For example, McCain did well because he was given the questions and got to hear Obama’s answers. Lack of experience? Lincoln only served a term as a US Rep., otherwise and obscure railroad lawyer.
If McCain picks a VP running mate who is an anathema to conservatives it’s all over with.
Aug 20, 2008 - 7:53 am 116. John the Libertarian:George Best wrote: “Obama is just the latest poster child for a country that is filled with an ever increasing population of people who hate…”
… themselves. Liberals are narcissists who hate themselves.
Try to untangle *that* knot.
Aug 20, 2008 - 8:54 am 117. Jessica:Amen, brother. Your article said it all. Thank you.
Aug 22, 2008 - 4:23 pm 118. Peter Quinn:From Canada
Thank you for clearing up my confusion and alarm at the near deification of Obama by the Canadian media and a great deal of their counterparts in the US.
As an “old soldier” at 74, I have seen a lot, experienced more, and studied world affairs and history as much as possible. I am frightened that he might win! Wasn’t Governor Palin s fresh breath of air in the midst of all of this? I would trust and follow Senator McCain as the leader of the free world and I would feel in far better hands should Governor Palin have to take over as President than I would as an ally of an Obama administration.
Thanks so much for these articles and all the others and your books from which I have learned so much.
Aug 31, 2008 - 7:30 pm 119. herm:take your head out of your but hole and listen .you sure as hell cant read or listen to all his words!!!!!!!!!
Sep 25, 2008 - 8:52 am