249 Comments

1. Doug Wright:

Yes, ask President Carter but to please sit in the back and keep quiet! Especially, do not ask Carter about foreign policy and the Gaza uproar!

Professor, great essay usual! What can you do to ensure that President Obama hears your words of advice? And, failing that, when’s armageddon?

Feb 3, 2009 - 9:58 pm 2. Minerva:

I have been reading letters I wrote home while at college in D.C. during the Carter regime. Doctor, it is all happening again.

Feb 3, 2009 - 9:58 pm 3. conrad:

Send Biden to funerals!? I see words flying out of context all around me…

Feb 3, 2009 - 10:15 pm 4. ack:

ack, not a lot of optimism. :/

I hope:

1. You’re wrong, or

2. a Dick Morris character steps in.

Feb 3, 2009 - 10:15 pm 5. Samuel WB:

I wonder if Obama sees these decisions as blunders or if hubris is in the way. I would bet that hubris is in the way. I don’t expect him to change anymore than I expect Dr. Hanson to be invited to dinner with our new vice president.

Feb 3, 2009 - 11:13 pm 6. Da James:

Ignore the idiots who blast you.

You are one of the only and lonely “lights” truly speaking truth to power.

Feb 3, 2009 - 11:23 pm 7. Pajamas Media » The Obamaplosion: Let’s Hope He Can Change:

[...] Read the entire piece here. [...]

Feb 3, 2009 - 11:42 pm 8. Dave:

Soon as Obama hits rough going, expect him to be another Dhimmi Carter. Only thing he knows how to do.

Feb 4, 2009 - 12:00 am 9. Barry:

Well said, Doctor.

I think Obama relies too much on his own press clippings. He thinks everything he touches will turn to political gold. He’s just beginning the rude awakening.

Feb 4, 2009 - 12:39 am 10. Charles Gordon:

Everyone can appreciate your reverence for our country and the sincerity in your suggestions on how to bring integrity and effectiveness to cleaning up the mess in Washington. He will not listen.

The president has clearly expressed-in his duplicitous manner, in writings, and in speeches-his contempt for our traditions and way of life. His associations, his advisors, his symbolic acts during his first weeks in office, and his out of control middle finger are evidence enough that his blame-America-first tantrums are at the core of his worldview.

He will listen to no advice that does further his obvious intention to expand entitlements, weaken individual initiative, empower obstructionist unions, tax the air we breathe, and smile at the suckers expected to pay for it. The success of those policies will bring failure to our country.

His shocking missteps are to the contrary great news. Let’s hope he doesn’t change. The more his true character alarms more people, the better we can prevent permanent damage to our nation’s way of life.

Feb 4, 2009 - 12:41 am 11. Judy, NYC:

obama is way over his head. it isn’t hubris that prevents him from changing course, it’s that he is a chicago politician, comes from that machinery, has always done business the same way with his political opponents, has no agenda, refuses to see our enemies as real danger and believes they are blowing smoke like his lefty pals and kookoo ministers.

his inaugural address calling america, rooted in the judeo-christian traditions “a christian and moslem nation…” made me wonder if he is in his right mind.

we are a democracy that must be defended and protected. this is not the university or a some college paper or a pass fail final. this is our republic, our lives, our cuture.

what sort of social consciousness allows spending on outrageous luxuries in the white house, dining like some potentate, while millions are out of work, bankrupt, with their lives in shreds, no money, no credit, and nothing in the offing. and, his first piece of legislation is equal pay and not action Now jobs programs?.

he is wonderful at gathering crowds and getting himself elected, and inept at running the government. now, in the midst of the great depression and an onslaught of fascist jihadists we’ve got herbert hoover with no foreign policy experience. obama is a catastrophe waiting to happen. soon.

Feb 4, 2009 - 12:50 am 12. Friendly Girl:

Hi Professor, love your work.
Maybe President Obama can do something to take people’s minds off all the problems you mention. He could take a totally new approach and ask the Olympic Games Committee to include some of the creative arts into the next Games. For example, the reading of Tragedy or the playing of the Lyre.
Maybe the great man could even compete at these arts himself. The MSM would love him even more.

Feb 4, 2009 - 1:12 am 13. PA Cat:

I would add one more piece of advice: Act like an adult in charge rather than a kid playing at doing an adult’s job. The following news item does not give one hope:

WASHINGTON (AP) – On the rockiest day of his young administration, President Barack Obama did what surely made him happy for a while.
He left.

With little notice, the president and first lady Michelle Obama bolted the gated compound of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in their tank of a limousine on Tuesday. They ended up at a Washington public school, greeted by children who could not care less about the collapse of a Cabinet secretary nomination.

“We were just tired of being in the White House,” the president candidly told the gleeful second-graders at Capital City Public Charter School.

“We got out! They let us out!” Mrs. Obama said as the kids and their teachers laughed.

“They” let the First Couple out? Who are the adults in charge at the White House?

Feb 4, 2009 - 1:31 am 14. Pops in Vienna:

Hey Doc,
Some muse has definitely taken a liking to you. You seem to crank these brilliant articles out effortlessly.

There must be paralels in the classics where proud kings are laid low by the gods. While the mills of the gods grind slow, they grind exceeding fine.

Despite overwhelming support of the media and the willingness to print and borrow unlimited sums of money, the laws of nature will inevitably bring the house of Obama down and the US government with it. These bizarre and ill considered antics can only lead to our destruction.

Last October, I remember Dennis Prager saying that if we elect Obama that we’ll get 50 Michigans. Well, we elected Obama and got 50 Californias instead.

Feb 4, 2009 - 1:50 am 15. paul_unalaska:

Mr. Hanson, your intellect, thought provoking commentary are unequal. My family and I have enjoyed many of your books. As well as your always insightful posts above. Truly, thank you.

I feel Obama hadn’t put country first in his picks. A blogger on michellemalkin.com put it very eloquently.

‘I see a man who is trying to make decisions based on the dogma of his party instead of considering what is best for his country.’

Obama is naively accustomed to being ‘onstage’ and sadly, firmly believes his rhetoric, insults, jabs and smugness are warranted and just.

What a dangerous twit..

Feb 4, 2009 - 1:59 am 16. wildernesscalling:

Mr. Hanson, “0bama” is to arrogant and is surrounded by arrogant, childlike groupies that He/they cannot see that what they do is wrong, “0bama” is blind to anything but his world and in his short political life has not learned to “Not” trash the Motherland even when abroad, he won’t learn that until maybe the year before his second term if he gets us or himself there. I like Mr. Limbaugh want “0bama” to fail, I want the Republicans to not only insist that “0bama” fulfill his campaign trail promises but to force him and all the Democrat’s to vote by hand where they stand, Mr. Hanson it is time for all to see the truth in words and deeds that are spoken by your party to come to pass! It is sickening to see how Deaf, Blind and Dumb our country has become by the Democrats that have PC’d our country into wet nosed crap filled diapers with cradle to grave whining baby boomers all at the expense of our future and our children!

Feb 4, 2009 - 2:03 am 17. Marc Malone:

I disagree with you. First, you can’t pin all the associations on Obama. Some are just the Dems being Dems. Don’t make the mistake of conflating the two, or you risk losing credibility. No need to gild the lily (or pollute the crapper).

Next, I don’t want him to succeed. The greatest thing he could do for me is to continue being a doofus. Get it all over with now, and we won’t have to put with Liberal nonsense for a generation. He’ll do great damage. I get it. But I believe in getting the pain over with quickly. I want them to turn up the heat on the frogs so that they are no longer boiling slowly and jump out of the Liberal stewpot.

The other good thing about his constant rain of bad news, is his popularity is falling like a stone. It may be that he can be discredited before he can get any momentum whatsoever. There may be very little pain if he’s neutered right away. the Liberal agenda may hit a wall with the public, as they wake up and realize what a tragic mistake they made in following the Libs agenda and empty promises.

Shoot, one more tax cheat, and the public will be calling for mandatory audits on every Congresscritter, Senator, and Cabinet person… including Clinton. Sweet! The Pubs could actually make this a real issue. Get a witchhunt going… and catch some actual (metaphorical) witches. It would be great theater during the next two election cycles.

Go Obama! Keep on demonstrating your folly. The price to discredit the Dims could be incredibly cheap, as they serve themselves up for dinner! Who’s next on the menu: Beans and (Barney) Frank? Oops. Really bad visual. Sorry.

Feb 4, 2009 - 2:03 am 18. turfmann:

It is sad indeed to contemplate that there are people who are reading your words right now, Dr. Hanson, who will die a horrible and preventable death at the hands of our enemies due to the acts of Mr. Obama’s administration.

There is only one logical explanation to all of this, that Obama is Bush Derangement Syndrome made flesh. Using the guidelines of Rules for Radicals, Obama seeks to reverse all that is perceived by the left as acts of evil regardless of the benefit/cost to the nation of those policies. Close Guantanamo because the left thinks we’ve been mean to those misunderstood jihadists. No thought as to the consequences of closing the facility, mind you. That is just one example. The activity of the White House in the short time the Obama administration has been there follows a similar meme. Bush bad, Obama good. Consequences? We deserve them.

What we’re going to find is that we may not have liked all the GWB did, but what he did behind the scenes was what we elected him to do – keep us alive. Once the first attack comes, hope and change will mean nothing.

Feb 4, 2009 - 2:26 am 19. Smilla:

The American people were not careful. They got what they wished for. Now they have to live with it for four years. Choose more carefully next time, please.

Feb 4, 2009 - 2:31 am 20. Marc Malone:

Oh, and you forgot to mention China’s declaration of intent to dominate Asia on Obama’s Inauguration. Yep, they’re scared of the new CinC.

Feb 4, 2009 - 2:38 am 21. cfbleachers:

Even the fawning media–that is responsible in some way for the crisis, given that they chose to be Pravda-like in encouraging the messianic style that got a haughty Obama in his present mess–will soon start bailing in efforts to restore their last fides.

In short, no…they won’t. Sorry, VDH.

Great essay, though. Yes, I expect that quite a few creepy people are presently sharpening swords and daggers. I see the dangers of swaggering into town and tossing in an ante in a “mixed rules” game. I see even graver dangers to America from those who deal.

1)There is a “mixed rules” game peril in foreign affairs with the “creepies” you mention. They see compromise as weakness. They see conciliation as cowardice. They will use apology as a rallying cry and recruiting tool. They will abide by no convention, they will use our adherence to convention as a weapon against us. Saul Alinsky with nuclear warheads, they will use our own rulebook to crush us. And they will do so without real compromise, real conciliation and sans apology.

2)”Mixed rules” apply with respect to entrenched media coverage of virtually every important issue of the day. The leftist “message” is king and we are all its subjects. The Trilogy of the Book of Slander co-written by Hollywood, the entrenched media and academia has the US and Israel as its main targets. Non-leftists, including Republicans of all stripes, conservatives without exception and moderates who dare to cross the line…virtually anyone who disagrees (see, ie., Liebermann and Billary)will be viciously attacked.

The truth is an ancient artifact. It is being buried beneath a storm of debris that is relentless and unceasing. We have been sold out for this “message” and we continue to this day to be buried, inch by inch, under its dirt. There is absolutely zero reason to believe, no matter what happens as a consequence (and there have been several major negative consequences already), that it will change one iota. There are mixed rules in our information stream, and the three dealers at the main tables are crooked.

3)Political cover for leftists is rampant and widespread. They can shirk any burden, secretly meet any foe, abandon any friend, drive up any price in order to pursue the leftist implementation of statism here and abroad. No act is beneath them. Logan Act violations by ex-Presidents abound. Meetings with Soviet leaders, Viet Cong leaders, arch-enemies, sworn enemies…in direct contravention of our declared foreign policy…are met with a collective burial of facts. News gathering editorialists have Soviet handlers. Stringers are plants for Arab dictators. Cable news networks intentionally downplay a dictator’s evils. Wire services photoshop and stage pictures. International news outlets fake the “scorecard” to make one tiny nation’s attempt to survive look grossly unfair. Leftists here at home and abroad are dealing a “mixed rules” crooked game.

4)Closer to home, the armor shell of leftist media covering for sins of democrats is appalling. I don’t see how the manner in which we impose our shared burden can any longer be said to equate to “representative”. This nation once stood up to taxation without representation of a different set of unfair rules, but not entirely dissimilar.

Somehow we have allowed the system to act like a mafia loan shark for the little guy. Imposing thuggery upon the entrepreneur who struggles to provide jobs and a spark to the economy with chokehold penalties and kneecap busting interest for minor infractions, while the “insiders” play with an entirely different deck.

The IRS as mafia hit man going after the little guy for not paying his “protection” money, while they “oops” didn’t play by the same rules, is a bit much to take. This is an institution that ought to be dismantled. The entire purpose was not to confound people, consume them, then carve up their stolen goodies for lords, nobles and viceroys. The leftists, especially the extremists like Pelosi would crush the economy in order to advance statism, upon the broken backs of small businesses.

The IRS as a weapon in a class warfare being waged by leftists, where the “mixed rules” are open and obvious and provided cover by the Slander Trilogy is an assault on our way of life.

5)We are in a rigged game, let me rephrase that…we are in a number of rigged games. They are being played simultaneously…and we are being dealt cards from the bottom. We keep trying to play by the rules according to Hoyle. That is what the enemies of truty, honor, liberty and freedom, here and abroad…are counting on.

And no, my esteemed friend…VDH, I don’t see any of that changing any time soon.

Feb 4, 2009 - 3:12 am 22. cfbleachers:

Truty=truth. Sorry…no edit button.

Feb 4, 2009 - 3:15 am 23. Richie:

Aside from Bush’s African AIDS relief work he was an unmitigated disaster in the eyes of the world. That is what ‘everyone abroad’ has been so worried about these last few years and that is why ‘everyone abroad’ had such a vested interest in the recent election. As for ‘the media has forsaken us’? Its just a pity more folks in the US had rediscovered the purpose of the Fourth Estate at a a time when the previous administration was riding roughshod all over your precious constitution. Adopting a position of exasperated indignation now simply rings hollow.

Feb 4, 2009 - 3:17 am 24. Storm Clouds Rising | The Return Of Scipio:

[...] Obama has been in power scarcely two weeks, and already things fall apart and the center cannot hold. Abroad, some really creepy people are now lining up to test Obama’s [...]

Feb 4, 2009 - 3:20 am 25. Ozzie:

I think all the recomendations are accurate and reasonable, reflecting the real world and on the ground realities. I doubt ONE of those will be implemented any time soon. The Obama presidency is like an out of control train; it cannot nor will not stop until it crashes into something hard, or wears itself out grinding the wheels into the dirt. Only then will someone as arrogant, privledged and unaccountable as BO alter his behavior. It’s entirely possible he is so deluded, he doesn’t even see that a problem exists.

Feb 4, 2009 - 3:38 am 26. Jack:

I don’t think that Obama sees much of the last two weeks as a mistake. Only one thing, according to the one.

No one has said it, but is anyone thinking about affirmative action here?

Feb 4, 2009 - 4:03 am 27. HonestJon:

Concise, Professor! As always, undoubtedly correct in all aspects. How about Dick Morris as press sec? How about a gag order on Biden as he is just an embaressment to the entire country (one could just give him an extra shoe to chew on.)

I think Obama had better concentrate all his energies on domestic policy right now-forget the foreign stuff entirely. How about a complete moratorium on all foreign aid until we get back in the saddle? Didn’t McCain suggest that during a debate?
It’s sort of juvenile and self-defeating of Obama to come up with all of this ethical, moral garbage when he is dealing with politicians-a group not especially well known for either ehtics or morals. Just look at the “waivers” already given out concerning lobbyists in the administration.
There have already been a lot of missteps. That is certainly to be expected in any new administration, but maybe not so many and so early.
I hope that Obama will ease up on all this leftist ideological claptrap (Guantanamo, etc.) Ideologues generally don’t make good Presidents (see Carter.)
The press WILL do their job now, I think. If they don’t, they all know that they will be tossed for being intellectually dishonest. Reporters are easily replaced!
Obama must lay off Bush! He did the best he (or anybody) could.
Finally, Obama needs to just stop with the doomsaying about the economic crisis. He’s just dragging us further into the swamp. He ain’t helping out consumer confidence, folks. Everybody knows that ours is a consumer-driven economy and everybody is scared.

I’m worried. Very worried.

Feb 4, 2009 - 4:03 am 28. john from cinncinatti:

i nominate Greg Kinnear for white house spokesman. he was a talking head for mtv and is a decent actor and looks good in a tux. he’s got time in front of a camera, experience in politics, i assume he’s voted before, so whats not to like…. this administration doesn’t really care if people have a resume, so why not.
do loose lips really sink ships? President Obama has done the symbolic gestures, now its time to give the world our wish list. Muslim brotherhood Saudis,Iranians etc. can kick rocks and get into their assigned seats.AKA know your roles. since 1/20 all the world players have come out with their wish lists. wasn’t their money sent anonymously to the campaign coffers? now that their boy has made it to the show they want to get their moneys worth. Mr.President throw them under your BUS. i kind of sounded like Reagan there for a second.

Feb 4, 2009 - 4:25 am 29. vivo:

Victor Davis Hanson:

Are you going to deliver your message to Obama?

Otherwise, you just wasted your time.

Let us know.

Feb 4, 2009 - 4:40 am 30. formwiz:

Excellent, as always. Unfortunately, Obama can’t carry out recommendations I – IV or he faces a revolt in his own party. V and VI won’t make things better, but would deflect the metastasizing (sp?) image of this administration.

Sad to say, PA Cat is right. If there’s a ‘they’ in Barry and Michelle’s life these days, then, clearly the adults aren’t in charge.

Feb 4, 2009 - 4:53 am 31. quasar:

VII. Release all documents {birth and college records}, otherwise leave the impression to millions, of hiding something.

Feb 4, 2009 - 5:03 am 32. eon:

The poster on michellemalkin.com who stated that The One is determined to govern by his Party’s ideology, as opposed to reality, sums it up perfectly. Obama is remarkably like one of the “compound architects” described by Tom Wolfe in “From Bauhaus to Our House”, disciples of Gropius, Van der Rohe, and le Corbusier, who wwere incapable of designing anything that did not look like a glass box on the grounds that all buildings had to be “non-bourgeoise” in concept and execution. They could not “think outside of the box” on design, because to them, the “box” (their philosophy) was itself a holy object that could never be challenged under any circumstances. Obama’s devotion to leftist dogma is cut from the same cloth.

As for demands for “sacrifice” and “shared responsibility”, whenever I hear those words, I tnink of the leaders of the past who used them to demand blind obedience from their people. Mussolini comes to mind, as does Lenin. Mao Zhedong also was big on this- witness the “Great Leap Forward.”

But I realy don’t see Obama being in the same category as them, actually. He reminds me more of two other badly failed leaders;

1. Clement Attlee- the Labour PM who succeeded Sir Winston Churchill in 1946 (on a platform of “hope” and “change”), instituted “austerity” in Britain, badly mishandled the end of British rule in India and the Palestine Mandate (helping to create the situations in those areas today), and stood by with his hands folded as Stalin seized Eastern Europe and tried to blockade West Berlin, and finally was caught flat-footed by China in Korea. He was deservedly given the boot by the British people in 1951, to be replaced by… Sir Winston Churchill.

2. Lyndon B. Johnson. Vietnam and the Great Society. Need I say more?

With “role models” like these two, plus Carter, the best we can hope for from Obama is that he will follow LBJ’s example- and not run for re-election in 2012.

Of course, with his colossal ego, that is a forlorn hope, at best.

clear ether

eon

Feb 4, 2009 - 5:31 am 33. Jake:

I blame a lot of this on the MSM… They used slight of hand to hide the obvious from voters who only watch tv for their information. If the election was a do-over 90 days from now, the result would be different. This was predicted by many but none in the MSM. We are living in dangerous times that can get worse if we don’t get the media to wake up.

I’m old enough to have lived through the Carter administration. It’s deja vu all over again.

Feb 4, 2009 - 5:41 am 34. carl saxon:

Hanson is the best writer and synthesizer of the political environment in the media. I hope the NYT has the guts to hire him as the “conservative” op-ed column now that Kystal has left.

Great article. It summarizes the facts and tells that we could v=be headed for some really serious problems.

Feb 4, 2009 - 5:46 am 35. Mongoose:

Judy: Obama was selected as a object to be marketed. He in and of himself is the proverbial “empty suite”. Look at this “person”. Is he capable of masterminding this political coup? No, he was put up there by the usual subspects and for the usual reasons.

Yhis inaugural address calling america, rooted in the judeo-christian traditions “a christian and moslem nation…” made me wonder if he is in his right mind.

Just so and exactly what I thought at the time. This creep is right out of his mind.

That was the sort of speech that you would expect for the head of the NEA and some teachers union conclave. It was down right preposterous.

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:06 am 36. always right:

Dr. Hanson,

Things could ONLY start looking up, after the last disastrous two weeks, right?

You have covered what Obama must do (i.e. 180 degree turn about), do you have a quick note on how we are supposed to support this clown?

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:07 am 37. elevenbravo1969:

Would that it were possible to install you, Dr. Hanson, as the proverbial, ‘man behind the curtain.’

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:17 am 38. BizzyBlog » Things I’d Like To Post About Today ….. (020409, Morning):

[...] Davis Hanson (”Let’s Hope He Can Change“) — “Anyone who cares about the U.S., at home and overseas, must be worried, very [...]

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:18 am 39. Sara for America:

I spend a lot of time ridiculing our new President on my blog. He has been such an easy target for trash talk.

This essay puts it all in a new perspective. It really isn’t funny anymore, is it?

Great piece.

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:19 am 40. Paul -Indiana:

Excellent article. Hang in there for two years and maybe we can salvage the House and Senate. In four, we could have a real president rather than this pretender, Obama.

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:24 am 41. huxley:

I thought PA Cat was making a joke about the Obamas being “let out” of the White House to visit a public school. Sadly, no.

Nonetheless, it’s still hard for me to imagine the left and the MSM turning on Obama.

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:25 am 42. Free In Idaho! » Blog Archive » Secretary of Culture?:

[...] you O-bots are going to have a problem before much longer, especially if his “chooser” doesn’t suddenly get a whole lot sharper.

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:26 am 43. Bilgeman:

VDH:

“In thirty days Dick Cheney will be Rushmorean in comparison.”

You’re kidding, right?

Thirty days? I’d assert that it took more like thirty seconds,(and even in that, I’m being grosly unfair to Mr. Cheney).

I suspect though, that the Left’s answer to Spiro Agnew might have sorta backed into the truth in one way….

Our enemies are going to test the Alleged Hawaiian’s Administration, but it might not come in 6 months, but rather in 6 weeks.

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:27 am 44. RJ:

From “doing a little blow” to “community organizer” to President of these United States, we have a young man who went to law school, not the US military.

He carries words in his quiver, not arrows.

He must find his balls, sooner rather than later, for my family’s sake and yours.

Then he must remove all the snakes he has about him, those he thought he could trust and wanted to trust.

I doubt this will happen, I seriously do!

It’s time to lie in the bed we’ve made! Thanks Mom…

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:27 am 45. Mongoose:

Aside from Bush’s African AIDS relief work he was an unmitigated disaster in the eyes of the world. That is what ‘everyone abroad’ has been so worried about these last few years and that is why ‘everyone abroad’ had such a vested interest in the recent election. As for ‘the media has forsaken us’? Its just a pity more folks in the US had rediscovered the purpose of the Fourth Estate at a a time when the previous administration was riding roughshod all over your precious constitution. Adopting a position of exasperated indignation now simply rings hollow.

Richie, that is just complete nonsense. It is the internalization Tranzi/Socialist/corporatist crowd that hated Bush, and they hates him be cause he stood astride and and athwart the path of their treasonous agendas. These people do not make up “The World”–not in the least–and should one meet with their approval it would be time to do a little soul searching and take moral inventory of oneself. Likewise, that their minions in the MSM can dupe a herd of unwashed useful idiots like youeself means absolutely nothing either as far as the reputation of GWB is concerned. These are some of the worst people on the planet. If this pack of knaves, cowards and fools thinks GWB was an “unmitigated disaster” one can be most sure that he was a rousing success.

You would know that if you poked your head out of that little liberal bubble of yours, and stopped being a willing tool for the enemies of your civilization and nation.

Do you think that the real people out there give beans about AIDS in Africa. They know it is a scam to keep NGO’s afloat in cash.

Between the Bali bombeing, terrorist attacks in India, Spain, London, etc. do you think real people care about this AIDS in Africa nonsense? A great many people in the EU were glad that Bush did what he did because their government lacked either the spine or the morality to do the right thing. You will not hear about this because they have no voice in the Media.

Stop being a tool for the enemies of your nation and civilization.

As for ‘the media has forsaken us’? Its just a pity more folks in the US had rediscovered the purpose of the Fourth Estate at a a time when the previous administration was riding roughshod all over your precious constitution. Adopting a position of exasperated indignation now simply rings hollow.

More nonsense. Richie, the MSM in this country is owned by the Democrat party, as are the MSM in the EU own by the counterparts of the Democrats over there.

They are not some independent “FOurth Estate”, They do not “talk truth to power”.

After the last 8 years one has to be either deranged, mentally handicapped or a liar to hold otherwise.

Bush did not “ride roughshod over the constitution”. Proof it. Cite an example.
This is just Leftist agitprop and Democrat electioneering.
(BTW, you show how lazy you are by repeating this slander exactly verbatim–you are just mouthing a talking point. ).

In fact the democrats have been tearing down the constitution from the first day FDR took office. That is what socialists do: Us the structures and institutions of free societies to subvert them. As a general rule of thumb, Leftists accuse their opponents of doing just what they are doing or intend to do. They learned this from Stalin and have daily used this tactic ever since. If you want to see the constitution shredded, you now have a front row seat. We may never put it back together again once the Democrats are done ripping it apart.

Get out of your mommy’s basement and learn to think for yourself.

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:35 am 46. bill:

the sad thing is we have to watch the stim. package grows everyday and repubs. wont step out they only add to it. the pres. will get his way. the people will suffer. cars will cost to much for the avg. person to buy (because of new regs) more people will be forced into goverment programs. we will ahve 4-8 a gallon gas and the dollar will lose half its value. what does the it matter if he fails on a couple of things in the end we will all suffer. He will get his way

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:41 am 47. goy:

I guess all this proves Biden was right about one thing.

- The Presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training.

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:41 am 48. Ken Besig:

Doc, I am afraid you are too late with your advice, and I am not even sure the Obamanation would take it anyway.

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:44 am 49. Mongoose:

Vivo: Projecting again, I see. It is reading your “opinions” that is the waste of time. And they are not really your opinions in the first place. They are wholly received.

BTW, that notion of “wasting time” will come back to haunt you in a few years. Sooner than you think.

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:46 am 50. Mongoose:

Proof it=Prove it. (sorry for the typos)

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:48 am 51. JJKRN:

whoosh..thats the sound of some city going up in nuclear flames…i am not a nutjob…i predict with 100% accuracy this will happen on BHO’s watch..this chap is a committed marxist/corruptocrat…the “best” of both worlds….neither he or his henchmen could give one whit about any of us….name one, one, act in his life that shows otherwise, he was raised by marxists and trained for a lifetime in Chicago politics, i have thought about this a bit..i keep coming to the same conclusion…we are screwed…for real for real

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:49 am 52. Right Wing Nut House » WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO OBAMA’S ‘WELL OILED MACHINE?’:

[...] Obama White House. Is Obama an incompetent empty suit as the right was charging all those months? What happened to the candidate who so confidently talked of hope and change, igniting a grass roots political [...]

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:59 am 53. J. PINKERTON SNOOPINGTON:

RICHIE
@23
Bush an unmitigated disaster ?? Yet another weak minded Lib spewing pabulum quality venom. You poor misguided boob – you don’t know the meaning of the word disaster ! But, you will learn the true meaning of the word shortly. Disaster,thy name is Obama…..!!!!

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:01 am 54. Mary Grabar:

The best overview I’ve read. Obama’s hubris has been aided by our affirmative action policies. He is an intellectual lightweight. Only someone as naive as one of my college freshmen students would believe that delivering such a message to the Arab world as he did would come to any good. At some time, one of Obama’s teachers should have shot his ideas down. I doubt that he is smart enough to take Professor Hanson’s advice now. The fear of God, or humility, is the beginning of wisdom.

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:12 am 55. fear Obama:

“We were just tired of being in the White House,” the president candidly told the gleeful second-graders at Capital City Public Charter School.
“We got out! They let us out!” Mrs. Obama said as the kids and their teachers laughed.

Ha.

Several of my out of work,
behind on their mortgaged payments,
liberal friends are already telling me they should have voted McCain.

6 months from now no one will admit they voted Bambi.

Reminds me of Clinton.

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:14 am 56. Joseph, NY:

Is anyone surprised? Really, POTUS is Obama’s first real job. He’s never had to balance a budget, he’s never had to manage an executive team, he’s never had to do much at all except talk out both sides of his mouth and do the double step at the same time to get where he is. As a junior senator in IL he did jack all also, as senator in DC he was tardy and unreliable always late for sessions – all to busy climbing political rungs and winning favors from the DNC..

His story isn’t about hope and change it’s about unbridled ambition and
doing anything possible to satisfy his own ego and self importance. The gerrymandering, the pay to play bs of Chicago, digging up private/personal divorce papers etc of opponents and then running for
uncontested seats, failed community programs which he spends more time
concealing etc.. south side projects that are still boarded up, and literacy rates that declined remarkably under his education programs. His guidebook “Rules for radicals” and its author Saul Alinsky have been the paramount influence in his life.

I say again, is the debacle of last two weeks really all that surprising??? Still early days yet, but with major foreign saber rattling still on the horizon (pending war between Iran its proxies, and Israel) and a looming showdown with the EU over staunch protectionist policies, and many more probable gaffes to come from self absorbed power hungry incompetent appointees.. the odds of success are looking very long and bleak. Wait till the fawning media tire of their hero worship also. They’ll only be able to sugarcoat long bread lines so much for Obama..

Great post Professor as usual, unfortunately I share with others their concern that your advice will fall on deaf ears. My prediction – Obama will look and sound like one very tired, grey and rattled wreck of a man come the mid terms.

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:17 am 57. Cybergeezer:

The Obamanation is coming home to roost, compliments of “His Emptiness”.

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:19 am 58. Gary Ogletree:

VDH may attract idiot hate mail but he also attracts some of the best comments in the blog world.

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:20 am 59. Christinewjc:

Included your excellent post at my blog today. The creepiness mentioned about Obama stating in his inaugural address – calling America, rooted in the Judeo-Christian traditions “a Christian and Moslem nation…” – doesn’t necessarily make me wonder if he is in his right mind. In fact, I think he knows EXACTLY what he is doing. It may have been a hint towards his future intentions. It isn’t funny. It isn’t good. In fact, it’s downright scary!

Please see Talk Wisdom: Islam “House of Truce” by Barry Soetoro?

I don’t want to wait 4 years in an Obamination. I still hope and pray that the truth comes out in a court of law about Obama/Soetoro’s ineligibility to be POTUS so that he can be removed from office!

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:22 am 60. ate mely:

Lord, God have mercy on us!

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:26 am 61. njcommuter:

Here’s another important question: will the MSM finally be revealed to The Man On The Street as unreliable and biased? Will Joe Sixpack realize that the talking heads and august commentators have been lying to him (by omission, selection, and distortion) and that he gets more honest news from the Daily Show than from Katie Couric?

It would be nice if people would wise up to the likes of Rangel, Dodd, Pelosi, Frank, and Reid. But it is more important that they wise up to the behavior of the Fourth Estate, which now truly believes that it is not only the most important branch of the government, but the arbiter of truth (and not just its distributor).

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:27 am 62. MarkD:

Obama set the bar with his rhetoric. It took two weeks to prove to any thinking adult that he either didn’t mean what he said, or he is not up to the job, or both.

He extended a hand to Iran, and received the same treatment Michael Bloomberg got from the groundhog. He got a tax cheat appointed to head the Treasury, and had other nominees withdraw over tax issues. His “no lobbyist” pledge didn’t last a week. If bipartisanship was an objective, “I won” is the equivalent of spitting in the punch bowl.

So far, we’ve seen plenty of self inflicted wounds. I’m not very confident he is up to a real test. I hope I’m wrong. I doubt that I am.

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:37 am 63. gary Treadwell:

Let’s hope he can change!

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:37 am 64. Cybergeezer:

Ever hear the proverb “You are judged by the company you keep”?
Certainly applies here; It’s also true that you are judged by the subordinates you choose.
And to think that when we are being attacked, this piece of crap is going to be protected! That makes me angry.

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:44 am 65. AnninCA:

Nothing yet has surprised me. The voters really didn’t particularly value experience this past election cycle. They did indulge in emotionalism.

Obama is the result. It was clear to me he lacked the necessary experience to be president. However, voters vote. Thank goodness, the senate is stopping the monstrous stimulus bill.

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:46 am 66. TexEd:

I think you’ve overlooked one thing; RACE. The media and the other leftists of the nation can not question the divinity of Lord Obama because to do so would reflect negatively on other blacks in America. That is one reason the media routinely will not mention the party affiliation of public sector crooks.To suggest that Obama is flawed also suggests that other blacks are similarly flawed, something anti-American, ultra-leftists can not and will not do!

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:52 am 67. Mongoose:

Fear Obama: I know a great many Obamabots. I cannot tell you the heat I took in this election for being outspoken about him. Even lost a some “friends”.

Now, every word I said is coming true, and at a rate that I never imagined could happen. The Obamabots I know are now walking around looking just ashen. Not one word of enthusiasm at all. The light is starting to get through.

I think that you are right, by August the country will be sick to death of the whole lot of them.

Problem is that this will not stop them from wrecking the Nation and destroying us as a Republic and as a superpower. I take it that this is the point of it all (I mean besides enriching themselves and punishing political enemies, that is).

Who is really behind this man?

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:55 am 68. Ellie Rest:

Please stop including my name and email address in the Write a Comment section below each one of your articles. This is embarrassing to me and, I think, an invasion of my privacy.
I enjoy your wise articles, and read all of them, but I hope you will respect my privacy and stop include my information in your Write a Comment section.
Please do not add this comment to your list of comments.

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:00 am 69. Change the game plan. « True Sailing Is Dead:

[...] via Works and Days » Hope He Can Change. [...]

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:03 am 70. Kelly:

Pre 9-11 this might have been fun to watch. The media fawning over an empty suited man who is crashing down to earth even as they watch with their eyes out of focus. But this is the real world post 9-11 and this is deadly serious. Obama MUST come down from Mt. Olympus to the ordinary world of Washington DC and begin showing some leadership. For all our sakes.

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:04 am 71. LynnS:

#67 Mongoose
“Who is really behind this man?”

You mean you didn’t know that it is the producers of “The West Wing” or as CNN now calls it “The Real West Wing.” I think they signed a four year contract, and it’s now a reality show. Please give them time to iron out the wrinkles and for all the characters to mesh.

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:10 am 72. Pops in Vienna:

Funny, but Obama apparently has blown a great chance to be everything his supporters thought he was going to be.

Instead of hiring a bunch of old Clinton hacks and inside the beltway types, he could have brought in fresh faces from state and city governments.

Instead of hiring tax cheats and scandal tainted politicos he could have brought in folks from the business and educational sectors to solve the financial crisis.

Instead of shooting his mouth off way too early to our adversaries, he could have stayed silent and kept them guessing.

Instead of governing from the center and promoting bi-partisanship, he comes out with an “I won”.

Not much to be encouraged about.

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:12 am 73. Peter the Bubblehead:

41. huxley wrote:
Nonetheless, it’s still hard for me to imagine the left and the MSM turning on Obama.

Peter writes: While not all will turn against him, some will see some need for self preservation and start doing a semblence of their actual job. I’ve seen hints of it already.

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:22 am 74. Sinatra Fan:

Time for Chris Matthews to redouble his efforts in support of O.

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:24 am 75. RE:

It’s willful ignorance that put Obama in the White House. We can only hope that some people learn something from their reckless folly of voting or a razor-thin resume. This on the job training debacle is gonna be painful.

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:31 am 76. always right:

#67. Mongoose:
‘The Obamabots I know are now walking around looking just ashen. Not one word of enthusiasm at all. The light is starting to get through.’

The Obamabots at my work place stopped talking about current affairs COMPLETELY. As if they don’t exist any more.

It is all small talk, about their children’s schedules, about the sad economy and how to ’save’ a few bucks, etc.

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:32 am 77. Mongoose:

Lynn: Oh, I think that they are a much more sinister bunch than hollywood.

I doubt that they are even Americans.

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:33 am 78. Doug Santo:

I agree with much of this post, but I don’t like the tone. We are not doomed. The US is not drifting toward collapse. Enemy countries like Iran make the same nonsense statements they always make. These statements don’t change one fact on the ground except in the minds of reporters. I did not vote for our current President, But he is, nonetheless, my President. I support him to the extent I can and pray for his success. Mistakes made in the last couple of weeks strike me as relatively minor, though they do indicate a pattern of poor decision making. I hope the President can see and correct these mistakes. At any rate, lets give the President a chance and not be unduly harsh in our criticisms at this point in his administration. That’s my opinion anyway.

Doug Santo
Pasadena, CA

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:35 am 79. atlargeinohio:

Superb points, Mr. VDH! And many great points upheld by the commentators. I believe the trolls were counterpointed very well (extra kudos to Mongoose), but I can’t help but notice that there seem to be less trolls today than I normally witness. Did some of them turn to stone when the sun rose today?

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:35 am 80. Obama’s “Blunders” Give Me No Joy « Blog Entry « Dr. Melissa Clouthier:

[...] to see President Barack Obama struggle at every turn since his inauguration. It’s not good for America to have the President putting forward tax cheats and criminals, being bullied by Russia, pushed by [...]

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:37 am 81. Peter the Bubblehead:

Ellie Rest @ #68

I think some people don’t know how their own computers function and how cashe memories operate.

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:42 am 82. Peter the Bubblehead:

78. Doug Santo wrote:
Enemy countries like Iran make the same nonsense statements they always make.

Peter writes: The big difference is last week the Iranians did not have the proven ability to launch satellites into Earth orbit. With that ability comes the ability to lob nuclear weapons at any point on the globe. The world has become a MUCH more dangerous place under Obama’s watch.

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:45 am 83. Onward James:

I will boycott certain countries, unless their leaders, administrations, and bureaucrats stop bashing ISRAEL and stop supporting Islamist autocratic nations, and despicable organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Taliban, Muslim Brotherhood… the list is long.

Following are the top of my DON’T GO LIST:

SPAIN: A Spanish court declared it was investigating several Israeli officials for the alleged role in a 2002 military assault on Gaza.
NETHERLANDS: The courts are charging MP Geert Wilders with Hate Crime for his film FITNA, where he compares some of the Koran to Nazis.
VENEZUELA for several reasons, and the fact that they are anti-Semitic
Any country that is part of the United Nations Human Rights Committee
FRANCE? Since President Nicholas Sarkozy prefers a federal Canada and irritated the Quebec separatists I might visit. Peut-être.
No Middle East country right now… only ISRAEL.
OBAMASTAN, Cook County Chicago, the land of the messiah & appeaser Obama and oracle Oprah.

But I love America so wise-up Obama!

For more details check the weblog

http://www.onwardjames.blogspot.com

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:45 am 84. tanstaafl:

My anxieties are clearly articulated in this essay and for that (at least) I am grateful.

Many of the comments are excellent. Since I believe you can understand almost anything by understanding the psychological makeup/experience of any given individual, I find this observation especially on point.

…it’s that he is a chicago politician, comes from that machinery…refuses to see our enemies as real danger and believes they are blowing smoke like his lefty pals and kookoo ministers.

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:46 am 85. Self-hating Boomer:

Dr. Hanson, with all due respect, I agree with Rush. I hope he goes down in flames. That is the way that damage will be minimized. Good governance out of such an inexperienced and ideologically addled leader from such a corrupt machine is impossible. Let’s just hope that he becomes so ineffective that that limits the damage.

By 2012, we’ll be wistfully remembering the good old days of Jimmy Carter.

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:46 am 86. RJ:

Ya know…with all this trashing of Obama, I cannot fail to remember how the other party addressed it’s responsibilities to offer up a great presidential candidate: McCain!

The only good thing this idiot did was give the 2nd spot to Gov. Palin…who then got trashed while millions of voters sensed that here was a real citizen who looked at survival the way most common people sensed was smart and right…a “frontier woman” so to speak. What we sensed was that we needed someone like us; maybe she is, maybe she won’t remain so… Gravitas and legacy are two words for narcissists.

Watch McCain now as he tries to garner some respect and political power while remaining with his “boys” in the Senate. I cringe when I hear his voice, I turn my head when his picture arrives on a TV screen!

No, the real problem is with us, those who elect these dummies, a mirror of how we seem to have lost the rationale of what constitutes a statesman, a political representative.

We, the voters, should stop our clowning and get serious about the work that is before us.

Will it take another set of planes or their cousins to do this? Sadly, I suspect so.

Remember that bumbling fool, Ali, saying that “Islam is a religion of peace!” during the comfort concert just after 9/11?

Don’t worry, it is coming…to a city near you!

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:52 am 87. brittani:

can you keep us safe??????????????????????

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:58 am 88. Rob:

Being from San Diego, the great home of the yearly ComicCon, I think we should dub this the ObamaCon.

Just remember we survived Carter. Barely.

But this time we will get no help understanding what is going on from the media, which is in a great ’60s ecstatic drug trip all of its own.

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:59 am 89. Self-hating Boomer:

54. Mary Grabar:

The best overview I’ve read. Obama’s hubris has been aided by our affirmative action policies.

The formal policies certainly had something to getting in to Columbia and Harvard. But it’s the culture of affirmative action that got him elected. All any supporter can say (or usually slobber) is that this is an historic event. They’re not even trying to hide the fact that race was the only reason that they voted for him.

The party’s interests (let alone the country) would have been so much better served by Hillary. But having an “historical” election trumped all other considerations.

Feb 4, 2009 - 9:01 am 90. Kevin:

yikes…Was it Guiliani or somebody else who cautioned the American lumpen that the position of POTUS should not entail on-the-job training? Boy, we really blew this one, eh? Thanks MSM. Enjoy the long soft depression ending in WWIII circa 2011-2012.

Feb 4, 2009 - 9:07 am 91. Kevin:

BHO is waiting for David Geffen to run onto the set and yell “Cut!Cut! People. People. For God’s sake, stick to the script. No tax cheats and no calls to terrorists!! OK, from the top..ACT 1, Scene 1, BHO Announces His Cabinet Appointees and Initiates His Foreign Policy…3…2…1…aannndddd ACTION!”

Feb 4, 2009 - 9:16 am 92. BC:

Yeah, having a couple of cabinet nominees pull out because of tax issues (with Nancy Killefer’s involving a tax lien totaling all of $946.69) is such a big, whooping disaster of bad, stupid judgment compared to, say, oh…something like this:
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/10/qwest-ceo-not-a.html

Feb 4, 2009 - 9:19 am 93. Christinewjc:

Got a “Digg shout” which led me to a post about Obama at The Black Sphere which begins:

Quote:

Today I picked up the USA Today outside my hotel room and on the cover is a picture of a dejected Obama, head resting on his hand, eyes tired, staring into the abyss. You’d think the Steelers had lost the Superbowl.

The headline read something to the effect that Obama has “lost some of his glow”. In the picture (left) he looks as if he is saying, “I had no idea how tough this job is.” Actually as I think about it, he is more likely thinking, “I’m no way prepared for this job.”

So why the long face? The guy can’t pick a cabinet. President 101. The first step for a president, and a baby step at that. You’d think that with the way Obama ran a practically flawless campaign, that he could get past President 101. Yet he had two cabinet pick resignations in one day!

I imagine that “golden glow” that only Liberals can see will end up looking like a ring of soot soon for his kool-aid drinkers, when he actually starts addressing real problems. I’m certainly readying my “I told you so” for all the knuckleheads who elected this inexperienced, no talent, snake-oil salesman (my apologies to all snake-oil salesmen) to the highest office in the land.

Yup…

You HAVE TO go and see that photo of Obama!

*sigh*…I REALLY miss President Bush…and despite the bashing that I will inevitably receive for saying that…I mean it.

Feb 4, 2009 - 9:20 am 94. » True, True, True Calling John Galt:

[...] Davis Hanson otherwise known simply as VDH has it right. The Obama Administration isn’t doing very well and it doesn’t bode well for the rest [...]

Feb 4, 2009 - 9:21 am 95. Chris:

Imagine how much even worse the Obamans would be doing if the outgoing Bush administration had not bent over backwards to smooth the Transition. By all accounts, to reassure and safeguard the country, 43’s administration cooperated with 44’s to an extent unparalled in American history, at least with transferring between one party and the other.

Left to their own devices, the Obama Administration are like teenagers teaching themselves how to drive a stick shift, grinding the gear box while failing to get out of Park.

Feb 4, 2009 - 9:22 am 96. ILikeIke:

Way to kick a guy while he’s down, Hanson!

I have to say, some of this stuff is so superficial it’s literally ridiculous. Take this: “True, Biden is just being Biden. But now he is Vice President Biden of our United States. Already, he’s ridiculed the Chief Justice. He has trashed the former VP. He has bragged on himself ad nauseam in very Bidenesque weird ways (best qualified VP in history he booms), and it has only been two weeks.”

You want me to take this seriously? Something tells me that you wouldn’t take kindly to a liberal writing about our previous VP the following: “Cheney is just being Cheney. Shooting people in the face, telling Senators to go F themselves, falling asleep during speeches.”

It’s all as true as the Biden stuff, but utterly juvenile and, as I pointed out before, superficial.

Feb 4, 2009 - 9:28 am 97. Professor Guvinoff:

Ah, the luster of emptyness, the charm of naivete, the melody of moral grandiloquence… What was so urgent about putting the first teenager ever in the oval office?

If we allow charm to trump competence, what is going to protect us against those who put our destruction above their life?

Feb 4, 2009 - 9:34 am 98. JFM:

Remember that bumbling fool, Ali, saying that “Islam is a religion of peace!” during the comfort concert just after 9/11?

That bumbling fool as you called him wanted to prevent:

1) Uniting Muslims by showing all your hand at once. Better to take your opponents in thin slices.

2) Being tarred as a racist by the snobbish europeans and the “enlightened’ never do wells of the MSM and from teh soft science academias.

3) Avoid lynchings.

Now I am not sure he was right: I know good people who are Muslims but there were good people between the (low level) Nazis who helped old ladies to cross the street, donated their blood and even helped Jews. I think it was, it is still too soon to expose Islam as the monstruous ideology it is (1) and set as goal to combat it (again he would have been crucified by the “enlightened” and by the Euros) but he could have been less committal and talked of “most Muslims are people of peace” and saying nothing about Islam. However I remind you that attacking Al Quida required the cooperation of several Muslim countries so perhaps it was necessary to reassure them.

For the europeans (who will never forgive America for D-Day and the Cold War) and the blame America first crowd from the “enlightened” MSM (plus backstabbing Democrats) we now know it was useless to try to soften them and that as soon they would thnk themselves safe they would turn on him like wolves. But that is hindsight, it was not evident on 9/12, specially if like Bush, apparently is, you are convinced of man’s fundamental goodness.

(1) Those who disagree have better read the Koran before posting. Alo examples based on doctrines in use between “marginal Muslims” like Ahmadists or ismaelists, are irrelevant: these are in complete contradiction with what is mandated in Koran

Feb 4, 2009 - 9:38 am 99. KBK:

@ Ellie Rest
Hilarious! I submitted your comment to thedailywtf.com. You made my day (though I did have to wipe down my monitor)!

Feb 4, 2009 - 9:44 am 100. Kathryn (Join the revolution: Reagan Conservative Petition):

The train wreck started even sooner than I expected.

Feb 4, 2009 - 9:48 am 101. Kirk Petersen:

Dr. Hanson, this is not hate mail or even quasi-hate mail — I’m a long-time admirer of your foreign affairs writing, and I proudly voted for John McCain. But you seem to have a bad case of Obama Derangement Syndrome, which is no more helpful or appropriate than the BDS that ran rampant for eight years.

Spare us from overheated wishful thinking:

But after only two weeks we are in a crisis stage of confidence, and the story is spiraling by the hour out of control. I write here not to score points, but to warn readers that this is all very serious. Obama is our President, and we must hope he does something fast to save his administration from general ridicule that will incur real dangers for all of us abroad.

Please. The Daschle episode is an embarrassment that will fade away after a few more news cycles. Rightly or wrongly, Geithner already has been confirmed by the Senate — case closed, move along. And what the hell do the ethical questions about Rangle, Dodd and Frank have to do with President Obama?

Feb 4, 2009 - 9:59 am 102. atlargeinohio:

It has been said before and I will parrot it again… this electorate was duped by media propaganda but also did not do their own due diligence in vetting the candidates before voting. I work with a guy who was convinced to vote for Obama mainly by his address to the Dem Convention. He told me that he listened to Obama’s words and said that “darn he was saying what I really wanted to hear! I agree with a lot of what he has to say!” I then offered to him that Obama can say anything(or read a teleprompter) and promise the moon, but can he deliver(or does he even intend to deliver) on what is being said? The media and the DNC did a good job of prepping the patient for a major organ swap.

Feb 4, 2009 - 10:01 am 103. Larry Poe:

I don’t think Obama can change. He’s just announced that no exec working for a firm accepting bailout money can be paid more than $500,000 annually. While this move will probably be probably be popular with many of his voters, what he (and they) don’t realize is that many of those drawing the megabucks were worth every penny

No doubt many others, of course, were not worth the money they were paid in salary and bonuses. Within a few short months of the institution of this policy, those that were worth every penny will be working for firms that can pay them what they are worth. Those that were not worth it? Well, they’ll still be working for the bailed out firms. This migration of the true talent will only hasten the spiral of the failing firms to failed status, and further diminish the likelihood that the taxpayer will ever get any substantial amount of the money we are pounding into these firms back.

Feb 4, 2009 - 10:02 am 104. Air2air:

The reason he’s President is that our side didn’t have a candidate. In this election, the appealing candidate won. Not a President or a Leader like McCain, but a studly beach-going, tall handsome dude that resonated with his deep-thinking supporters. We had Lettuce.

The fallout from Carter was Reagan. Where are we going to get another Reagan? That’s my worry right now.

Feb 4, 2009 - 10:04 am 105. J.E. Dyer:

Good luck with this sensible program, professor.

Foreigners took Obama’s measure much faster and more accurately than the American electorate did. Even our NATO allies are all Talleyrandians now, suggesting in the Atlantic Defense Council that we get Iran to help us with the Taliban. There is nothing new under the sun: Europeans asking Persians to help them pacify homicidal Central Asian tribesmen has been tried before, and pretty recently.

And it can “work,” at least long enough for NATO to escape Afghanistan under cover of a photo op with a “Peace with Honor” banner. Of course Iran will help us with the Taliban — if it will make us leave. Of course the Taliban will cooperate — if it will make us leave.

The Europeans see that, even if the Yanks don’t. Our allies are assuredly already busy undermining our policy in South Asia and the Middle East, to secure an exit for themselves.

You’re very right that this is really bad. The time for Russia to collude with Iran to begin squeezing the US out of the region — starting with our partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council — probably seems to be at hand. I fear we can expect an increase in terrorism in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and of course Iraq, in the coming years. We need have no apprehension of this trend NOT spreading across Turkey, Egypt, and even Jordan.

Meanwhile, you have accurately characterized the stimulus bill here: “Borrowing trillions to cure an economy that borrowed hundreds of billions and got itself into an abyss of debt makes no sense.”

There is one human situation this practice too often makes sense to: that of the gambling addict facing utter ruin. I don’t know that this stimulus bill is the biggest gamble in history, as some suggest. But it is certainly the biggest financial gamble in AMERICAN history. We have come an awful long way from our pennywise yeoman antecedents. We have put the gamblers — with their essentially ahistorical and nihilistic perspective — in charge.

Feb 4, 2009 - 10:06 am 106. atlargeinohio:

I’m sorry, not the electorate but the voters were duped. I have debated many libs ( and dems who vote dem because “that’s how I’ve always voted” ) who get backed into a rhetorical corner and fall on the old saw that “well, politicians are all crooked so it doesn’t matter who you vote for…”! Nice, nice, very nice. Vote for Whirling C. Dervish then…

Feb 4, 2009 - 10:08 am 107. Anton:

Pops in Vienna; it will be 50 Michigans, at least California has sunshine, Detroit looks like Berlin in December 1945 right now.

By the BHO is done there might not even BE sunshine.

Feb 4, 2009 - 10:13 am 108. Craig:

VDH,
As always, an excellent assessment. You are spot on about Gibbs; he is obviously in way over his head. Biden is an abject embarrassment and should be shelved quickly. I could go on and on but suffice it to say, don’t expect much to change, so to speak. You are dealing with the supreme arrogance, moral certitude and general cluelessness of the Left. Obama will not alter his technique until his approval ratings start to tank. This is all these people care about. Very sad.

Feb 4, 2009 - 10:17 am 109. Tantor:

USA is toast… USA is bankrupted… that is a change

Feb 4, 2009 - 10:30 am 110. Valerie:

Things will look a whole lot better in a week, if some person with a grasp of the numbers involved gets behind some kind of stimulus package that takes the time frame for action and the available mechanisms in the government, involved. This could be anybody. I hate to have to say it, but I heard Newt Gingrich on cable last night, and he might actually function as a persuasive spokesperson.

Feb 4, 2009 - 10:31 am 111. glc:

I’ve been screaming this from the rooftops: OBAMA will fail as president. He has no experience; he has never run a business; he has never started a business; he has never met a payroll; he knows absolutely nothing about economics, finance, foreign policy, or science. (Trust me here, I’m a lawyer too, and they don’t teach those courses in law school.)

Obama has no executive experience. He has no administrative experience. He has no experience at anything but being a socialist.

He will damage this country; he already has started.

He has inserted socialism into our system: this morning announcing pay caps for executives of companies who take federal money. Who is next? How much does the government want to control private business? Is your business next? What else will the government regulate?

Read “Brave New World” folks. Read it and weep, because that’s what’s happening. Then read “1984.” Read that a weep. We are there.

Our country is going to hell.

I actually had a dinner guest last week who told me that he thought folks should not have more than one house; or earn over $300,000 per year; or have four automobiles. Geez! We had just remodeled our kitchen, and asked him, “well, do you think we deserve to remodel our kitchen with really nice expensive high end appliances?” He actually said, “Yes. What you did was okay because your house isn’t too big. You did it reasonably, so yes, I wouldn’t disallow this kind of expense.” He really said that. God.

Obama does not understand that he just destroyed those businesses which took the bail out funds, because those executives will jump ship and work somewhere else.

Hell, I don’t want my income capped. Geez.

Feb 4, 2009 - 10:32 am 112. barry 0351:

apparently Kuwait has been listening to Obama the word is Kuwait purchased 5.4 million potassium Iodide anti radiation pills.

Feb 4, 2009 - 10:35 am 113. Robert Blase:

Professor Hanson,
I have long enjoyed your work which is always characterized by realism and insightfulness. Since reading Judge Bork’s book, SLOUCHING TOWARDS GOMORRAH, I have been filled with deep forboding for the future our country. Clinton’s moral shortfalls have added unwelcome impetus to this looming threat.

In my many missals to Mr. McCain, I warned him that if he didn’t get his ship righted, we would be subjected to the alternative consequences from which it would take many generations to correct, if at all. We are now seeing a text book repeat of Vicente Fox in Mexico, an all gratuitous,empty talk campaign, followed by a 6-year disaster outfitted in total incompetency. That nation has been deeply wounded as a result. However this is the USA, not Mexico, and a similar scenario here can be magnified beyond all imagination.

Feb 4, 2009 - 10:40 am 114. Bill:

Obama ….Excuse me , President Obama needs to grow up and get a spine and get rid of that “entitled” ego he has. He really should pay serious attention to the lecture VDH gives him. The time for talk is over, leadership with character is needed. Stop all the “foolishness”. If he wants to be like Lincoln ,
fine….he needs to remember how the nation
dispised him while he kept the Union together. Mr. Lincoln did not have a need to be “liked” by the public. Mr. Obama on the other hand desires to be “liked” …this character trait will be his Achilles heel…in turn wound our nation. Mr Obama needs good and sound advise. Only a few on team qualfy. BTW the Obama media is a joke.

Feb 4, 2009 - 10:41 am 115. Joe Bison:

Obama is the affirmative action president.
What did you expect from someone whose
greatest achievement was community organizer.

Hopefully he will mature on the job. However,
I fear he will get angry and hostile instead.
The free pass he got until now didn’t do
America any favors.

Oh yeah and wait until his bitter half starts
spouting off. This could get real ugly real fast. Get a real Republican ready for 2010
for insurance.

Feb 4, 2009 - 10:49 am 116. wGraves:

It does not bode well that we brought forth the ‘Buy American’ policy embedded in our ‘Stimulus Package’, only to fold our hand immediately. The perception of our enemies will be that we’re weak and that the President can be rolled whenever necessary. Now, said ‘Buy American’ policy was not thought through properly, and would damage the economy. That having been said, it is essential that once we announce a policy, we don’t fold after a single speech by Gordon Brown or Angela Merkel. I lived in France during the Carter Administration, and never ceased to be amazed by the callow, insipid, and infantile policies which flowed from 77 Pennsylvania during that administration. I sincerely hope we’re not in for a repetition.

Feb 4, 2009 - 10:54 am 117. Peter Boston:

College sophomores sit around dorm rooms and have all night bull sessions about how to save the world. In this case one of those sophomores opened the dorm room door and stepped into the Oval Office instead of the hallway.

Obama does not have much more real world experience than an adolescent. He has never managed an organization where there were consequences for failure, and since Harvard (if not before) he has had generous patrons that have pushed him through every door. How many 28 year olds get sent all expenses paid to Bali to write an autobiography?

The best we can hope for with Obama is that he is not as bad as what we feared.

Feb 4, 2009 - 10:55 am 118. fear Obama:

Just for Fun!

Got back from the dentist office,
and yes.

It hurts like Hell!

Anyway…

15 magazines on the doctors end tables and I counted 6- six of them had Obamas picture on the cover.

The dentist knows my politics and said he was sorry.

I told him not to worry,
the MSM needs a bailout.

Feb 4, 2009 - 10:58 am 119. boqueronman:

Just one quick observation. Is anybody starting to wish we now had a parliamentary system where incompetent administrations can be voted out of office in a day? Yes, I know Dems rule Congress. But there are “Blue Dogs” and they have shown that they are already restless about Pelosi’s “San Francisco Dreams.” I’m just talking here about contingencies. But, somewhere back in a far back Repub staff room, somebody ought to be doing research on “no confidence votes” in UK and U.S. history. Just sayin’.

Feb 4, 2009 - 11:06 am 120. Phil Ratner:

VDH is spot on again…sad thing is though, the republicans only offered deomcrat-lite in McCain this past cycle…If the people are offered the real thing or an echo…they’ll choose the real thing every time..McCain was but an echo on everything but foreign policy. And the dumb masses listened to the press about how Bush had indeed shredded the Constitution or tortured people for kicks (9/11, what 9/11??)…We are going to reap what they have sown for the next four years and it’ll be anything but pretty. We need real conservative leadership and sadly we are not getting it, even now with this bailout nonsense we have some supine republicans trying to be BHO’s friend..where is a Reagan when you need him??

Feb 4, 2009 - 11:23 am 121. Terry Gain:

Those who claim Obama is an empty suit are wrong. The presidential suit is filled by a 47 year old man who thinks like a college freshman.

Feb 4, 2009 - 11:27 am 122. Marc Malone:

Following up on the Obamabot reactions:

My mother couldn’t hear a word I said during the campaign. She and one of my sisters were excited about him. Yesterday, for the first time, she started listening as I broke down what happened during the housing bubble. She had bought the meme of lack of regulation, etc…. Now it’s, “Really?”

Now’s the time, people, to re-open those arguments. The disenchanted can now see and hear. Do it before the spin starts.

Feb 4, 2009 - 11:33 am 123. Delia:

Let’s expect to hear a lot of, “I screwed up” for the next four years.

What about what’s going on in Mexico?

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/26/world/americas/26mexico.html

With Obama’s very loose and hard-to-pin-down views on immigration, I wonder what the great redeemer will do when a flood of illegal Mexican immigrants bum-rush our borders to escape the madness. After all, an illegal immigrant vote is a Democrat vote right?

Obama is a narcissistic fool who believes his own B.S. so it’s no wonder he’s living large and in grand, hot-house style in the W-H while things are building up to a frightening crescendo both here and abroad. Of course, we peons are ‘average folk’ so we just can’t understand how the King and his cronies can be so blatantly hypocritical.

~And, the media and the blind followers gush over how at ease and calm he remains during all this. What a wonderful guy! “He said he screwed up and owned up to his mistakes!” Oh puhhhhlease! Obama was 110% behind doofus Daschle until doof stepped down and then Hopey Changey tard acts as if he just learned of the tax-problem and now he’s sorry? Righhhhhhhhhht. *VOM* Whatta bout Tim Geithner: Our tax cheatin’ Treasury Secretary then, Mr. Not My Prez?

Gag.

I AM afraid. VERY afraid. I’d like to clobber every idiot over the head with a rubber chicken who voted this fool into office.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Apologies just don’t cut the mustard. Grow the eff up, Obama.

Feb 4, 2009 - 11:40 am 124. M. Peery:

This is only the best article of 2009.
But, it pains me to support an empty suit.
He is my President. I wish him well.
But, the circus is running in DC and I don’t want to pay to watch.
The Democrats are dangerous to liberty.
The end results may not be pretty (study Jefferson).

Feb 4, 2009 - 11:51 am 125. Delia:

Here is a more recent article on Mexico problem:

http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?q=5902.0.112.0

Feb 4, 2009 - 12:01 pm 126. slade:

Now, every word I said is coming true, and at a rate that I never imagined could happen. – Mongoose

In all fairness – I expect you will object – but I blame the Republican Party for sleeping through this election. McCain got the nomination because nobody else came to the party – certainly not the quarterback. I am convinced (almost) that the Republican Party intentionally did this to itself because I saw zero effort to actually – you know – WIN an election, with the notable exception of Palin who was badly presented (I am guessing she deserved some of that blame but that’s a side issue). The Republicans elected Obama just as much as the Democrats.

The larger issue, aside from the limp-wristed Republican campaign, is the caliber of people remaining in the top echelons of the Republican Party. Hopefully Michael Steele can change that but the question remains – why did the Party allow itself to deteriorate to this degree?

Disclaimer FWIW: I voted McCain.

Feb 4, 2009 - 12:11 pm 127. Kenny Darter:

When will Obama’s troubles end? Unreal right now. A ton of hate coming his way. http://hateonme.com/

Feb 4, 2009 - 12:18 pm 128. retrophoebia:

To add a little fuel to the campaign-promises-unfulfilled fire: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/04/martin.press.diversity/index.html

I hold this up as an example of an impartial media figure. Hoorah!

Feb 4, 2009 - 12:19 pm 129. GURUPUNDIT:

Don’t let the hate mail get you down. If it weren’t for you and Mark Steyn I would just give up. You are the most rational voice out there, keep up the good work.

Feb 4, 2009 - 12:21 pm 130. zanne:

67. Mongoose:

Fear Obama: I know a great many Obamabots. I cannot tell you the heat I took in this election for being outspoken about him. Even lost a some “friends”.

I still am losing friends today. I don’t care anymore. I know the Amercian voters wanted and American Idol. We needed a leader and got an community organizer via George Soros.

Feb 4, 2009 - 12:23 pm 131. Kryel Waythum:

PHOOEY
———-

What an incredible, almost maniacal effusion of hot air both from the writer and the commentators.

I greatly admire Dr. Hanson as a classicist, but as a public commentator on the scene-at-large, I just can’t figure out where he’s coming from. It’s a disappointing turn-off.

It reminds me of the blog ravings directed against Bush in the weeks leading up to the election.

Now it’s the turn of Obama (Aξιος)(Axios).

I have nothing to say pro or con other than to note the sad development of blogdom from a somewhat interesting forum for public discussion into a cauldron of steamy rhetoric best left to those bent on publically airing
their frustrations of one kind or another.

Phooey………and hooey.

Feb 4, 2009 - 12:27 pm 132. George Best:

This stuff is only obvious to the people that didnt vote for Obama and the stupid conservatives who either didnt vote or voted for Obama because the Republican party put up McCain as its nominee.

Obama supporters ignore this stuff because of the HOPE and CHANGE he provides(whatever that is i dont know) in their mind. He was elected because he was black by stupid people or those who hate Bush and would rather cut off their nose to spite their face.

This country is filled with too many idiots who reproduce, barely get by, and if organized have the numbers to vote in a guy like this. I see these people in business and on the street daily.

The election is over. We cant undo it. VDH and the smart folks who read and post comments know what is happening, but we knew what he would do before the election.

I must admit that it looks even worse that Obama puts up people for important spots without making sure they pay taxes. Daschle is the typical elite liberal as he still has the support of the people who are at the bottom of the totem pole no matter what he does.

Obamas actions so far are just a reminder that we need to work extra hard to get a true conservative to face him in 2012. Anything short of a Reagan type will get Obama a second term no matter what he does. As bad as Obama is, he will be mega rich by being President and that is all he cares about. He shucked and jived his way to office and anything after that does not matter to him. He has already won.

While we care that he is a buffoon, he does not. Hes no different then Gore. Its all about power and $$$. Obama is the winner in this game unfortunately.

Feb 4, 2009 - 12:28 pm 133. RJ:

98/jfm from your posting: “these are in complete contradiction with what is mandated in Koran”

Dear Enlightened One, time for you to perhaps (remember I said perhaps) read Eric Hoffer’s The True Believer if you are open to living your life beyond the dictates you gather from your choice of religion as implied by your posting.

Plan B for you: Suicide work wherein you will immediately discover the reality of those beliefs as expressed in that so called holy book you mentioned.

Plan C for you: Go outside, smell the air, look at the sky…and smile.

PS. Ali ain’t no god, no way…any day, pal!
As to his native intelligence, I think he was a very smart boxer, a gifted narcissist, and a man who liked women.

PPS. Islam sure don’t look like, smell like, taste like, nor walk like a “religion of peace” to me, so stop quacking and threatening everyone who just may think like I just might think.

In other words…you’re a bozo!

Feb 4, 2009 - 12:32 pm 134. john galtis the man:

Tim QuiteNerd=corrupt scumbag whos only purpose is to get the taxpayers to bailout Wall st bankers. Eric Holder=corrupt racist scumbag Dc lawyer whose law firm has supported every anti-american communist-style one-world government whenever possible, not to mention his numerous ties to Soros orgs. Tom the Dass-hole=corrupt health car lobbyist trying to push govt run health care to benefit trial lawyers.Not to mention his wife being a major lobbyist for groups with financial interests in HHS AND formerly the airline industry. I dont need Obamabots as friends and am only concerned about America and her future. A future the Obamaskank seems to think is more Karl Marx and less Thomas Paine.

Feb 4, 2009 - 12:36 pm 135. Heidi:

Great article, I have sent this to my entire email list.. A MUST read..

Feb 4, 2009 - 12:56 pm 136. NJclosetconservative:

“POTUS is Obama’s first real job”: Good comment from Joseph, NY.

More specifically Obama has never had a job in which he was not paid with public money. Even at the law firm where he worked for a minute, the clients were public sector and/or pro bono.

He went straight from public leech to politician (not much of a journey). So he’s never had that valuable experience from the business world of being knocked down a peg or having his assumptions challenged and his skills questioned by those who are more successful or in the position to evaluate his productivity and leadership.

While Dems were busy claiming that Bush lived in an echo chamber, it was actually Obama who surrounded himself with various liberal preachers and their choirs.

Calling Obama inept, inexperienced, etc. is insufficient. He is too thoroughly ensconced in too narrow a wordlview, a discredited one at that, to ever be an effective leader.

My only hope is that in a media saturated world in which history often feels accelerated, we’ll be done with Obama and his legacy quicker than we were with Carter.

Feb 4, 2009 - 12:59 pm 137. Eric, Raleigh:

RE: 58. Gary Ogletree: “VDH may attract idiot hate mail but he also attracts some of the best comments in the blog world.”

I agree, the commenters here are thinkers and the best in the ’sphere. I enjoy the comments almost as much as the VDH writing. But how we have not been invaded by the moonbats is still a mystery.

One thought about the MSM/Dems vis a vis Obama. We all know that Dems (and by default the MSM) are closet racists. Why else would the bulk of their policies revolve around skin color? I’ve had a nagging feeling that they have propped Obama up to tear him down. Unfortunately the tear down will not be pretty for Obama or our nation.

While I consider him unfit to be POTUS for a million reasons other than melanin levels and paternal lineage, proving him unfit will validate their inner contempt towards people of color.

Feb 4, 2009 - 1:01 pm 138. Войска ПВО:

Larry Poe writes:

“He’s just announced that no exec working for a firm accepting bailout money can be paid more than $500,000 annually..what he (and they) don’t realize is that many of those drawing the megabucks were worth every penny.”

I agree with your post, Larry. What I am wondering is why didn’t these geniuses — especially President Training Pants — think outside the box. I mean, you know, like what if we allowed “incentivized” salaries and bonuses to mega-star CEOs and executives as long as part of the incentive package included early repayment of bailout monies.

Yes, this probably borders on socialism, but as long as the federal government is in there messing around, they could bring some creativity to it instead of their stolid, commie, anti-biz doctrines.

Feb 4, 2009 - 1:23 pm 139. Jeff Weimer:

126. slade:

In all fairness – I expect you will object – but I blame the Republican Party for sleeping through this election. McCain got the nomination because nobody else came to the party – certainly not the quarterback. I am convinced (almost) that the Republican Party intentionally did this to itself because I saw zero effort to actually – you know – WIN an election, with the notable exception of Palin who was badly presented (I am guessing she deserved some of that blame but that’s a side issue). The Republicans elected Obama just as much as the Democrats.

The larger issue, aside from the limp-wristed Republican campaign, is the caliber of people remaining in the top echelons of the Republican Party. Hopefully Michael Steele can change that but the question remains – why did the Party allow itself to deteriorate to this degree?

Disclaimer FWIW: I voted McCain.

I can’t fully disagree with you there. I too held reservations while voting GOP this year. But it was truly the lesser of two evils, and he would have been more reasonable on the domestic front. Does anyone believe he would have let himself get caught up in the “spendulous” mess (at least to this degree)? We would have had less pork in it at least.

Feb 4, 2009 - 1:30 pm 140. Charles Wolf:

I believe those rules “the great one” has imposed on the Wall Streeters who ask for great amounts of money is against our constitution with regards to contracts. What say you?

Feb 4, 2009 - 2:01 pm 141. Kenny Darter:

You have to think Team Obama wishes every day could be Inauguration Day. Or Election Day. This governing stuff is hard, isn’t it? Hate flying every which way. http://hateonme.com/

Feb 4, 2009 - 2:01 pm 142. Not Chris Matthews At All:

I’m so scared I have a warm wet feeling going down my leg.

Feb 4, 2009 - 2:10 pm 143. Rachel Peepers:

It’s getting crystal clear. B. Hussein and dem Dems don’t play by any rules. They consider themselves above the law. breaking them with the impunity of common street thieves. Paying taxes only when they’re offered high paying government jobs.

Worse, even knowing Tom’s a tax cheat of biblical proportions, B. Hussein didn’t ask Daschle to leave. In fact, Barack would have let him in the administration knowing full well of his criminal nature.

B. Hussein is the most ethically challenged President since Nixon. The only thing that separates him from niggardly Nancy and Hapless Harry is that Nancy and Harry haven’t as yet been caught. And don’t forget. If it weren’t for the stained dress, Bill Clinton would still have been pronouncing his innocence. They’re a pack of liars and thieves. What’s more, we now have an attorney general who illegally spearheaded the pardon of a man on the FBI’s most wanted list. And the new Secretary of the Treasury is another one of many administration common tax cheat.

Moreover, they give wives sweetheart, no show jobs; Michelle’s at the U of Chicago. Blago’s was cancelled by his taped pay to play scheme.

President Bush played by the rules and was ethically unimpeachable.

B. Hussein only follows the example of his Chicago sewer rat pals.

Making things more potentially disasterous is the mainstream press, which should lose all their constitutional guarantees. They have demonstrated to be dishonest and totally without ethics. The jobs of cheerleader and jouranlist are now one in the same.

B. Hussein should, for the good of the country, immediately and forthwith resign. Biden should follow suit, and the constitution should immediately be amended to provide a new election.

If Barack refuses resignation, he is destined to one day be led out of thte White House in handcuffs, the first President to be tried and convicted of high crimes and misdemeanors.

53% of Americans voted for the politics not of change of hope, but of corruption and hate.

If you were one of them, there is not a time out room large enough for you. Ignorant lemmings who betrayed your country by not thinking before voting.

Feb 4, 2009 - 2:22 pm 144. Carl Pham:

I think one of your earlier commenters has it right, Hanson. Obama is basically in over his head, an updated JFK. He’s very good at making speeches and projecting a Presidential demeanor, like an actor. But he has zero experience going out on point. His career, including the campaign, and including his first few weeks in office, has consisted entirely of keeping his head down and going along with the prevailing wisdom set by the older crowd. This shows in so many things, including his straight party-line voting, and his selection of so many old Clinton dogs to work for him.

Unfortunately for Obama, the prevailing wisdom in Congress is the moonbat clueless crowd led by Pelosi and Reid, idiots who haven’t a clue how to actually govern responsibly. So he’s kind of damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t. If he bows to the prevailing wind, he gives the country over to crazies. But he doesn’t have the experience and moxie and thick skin Bush had to move out and take point, lead.

Oh well. We can expect a lot more aimlessness and fecklessness before it’s all over. Let us hope a Lincoln, and not a Caesar, arises to help out.

Feb 4, 2009 - 2:32 pm 145. Kenny Darter:

Honestly, these scandals seem toothless compared to Bush’s scandals. Nevertheless, it seems Obama will spend his entire first year recovering from this. Hate everywhere. http://hateonme.com/

Feb 4, 2009 - 2:35 pm 146. Yoni:

I wish McCain was president.

Feb 4, 2009 - 2:42 pm 147. slade:

Jeff Weimer@139: I can honestly say I have no clue what McCain would have done in response to the financial crisis, but I will say this: Phil “stop whining” Gramm is looking a h^ll of a lot different four months after the fact. Still tone deaf, but at least within spitting distance of sanity.

My view, at this point, is that the (”bad”) bankers are playing footsie with the government money, for a variety of reasons I’m too tired to elaborate here. The level of subtlety is far from stratospheric, yet the new POTUS isn’t picking up some obvious vibes, nor are his advisers, which is possibly the more critical deficiency in terms of balanced and critical decision-making.

(Charles at Belmont speculates that the lack of transparency in TARP I was intentional to disguise recapitalizing international banks who are blaming U.S. mismanagement for their insolvency.)

Feb 4, 2009 - 2:50 pm 148. Mongoose:

What “Bush Scandals”? You mean the fake ones the Left hatched. You mean the gross exaggeration my the MSM of peccadilloes? He ran the cleanest administration in modern history. One of the cleanest ever. More MSM/Lefty/Dem poppycock.

Feb 4, 2009 - 2:54 pm 149. Mongoose:

I wish Cheney was president. Or GWB. Anyone but a Democrat.

Feb 4, 2009 - 2:55 pm 150. JFM:

RJ

I cannot make sense from your post.

So let’s summarize

1) Islam is a religion of murder and conquest like evidenced by Koran’s content and Muhammad’s life

2) The thing about Great Jihad = peceful struggle is BS: it is mentionned nowhere in the Koran while appeals on war (the kind where people get killed are presnt in may places). Furthermore theyn are in the Medina verses, the ones who prevail.

3) The religion of some small Muslim sects can be considered as religion of peace but in fact they take such is liberties with Muhammad’s teachings they are at best considered as arch-heretics and at worst as Non-Muslims by the mainstream ones. The more closely people follow Koran the likelier to get involved in Jihad and terrorism. There are good people between Muslims, but they are bad Muslims who don’t follow the dictates of Islam.

Feb 4, 2009 - 2:57 pm 151. Red Blooded American:

What, no tedious analogies from ancient Rome?

I’ve got one word for VDH’s piece: hyperbole. Applies to the arguments of his fawning admirers as well.

At the very least, Obama is moving forward. You may disagree with the direction, but there is movement. Don’t forget, Bush and his neoconservative ideology is thoroughly discredited.

Oh, and Biden is right about Roberts and Cheney.

Feb 4, 2009 - 3:00 pm 152. Ann141:

143 Rachel Peepers….your last paragraph.

Absolutely right. Unfortunately, most of those ignorant lemmings are probably not following current events, nor do they have a sense to be afraid of what they have done. (They have gotten pretty quiet though)

Feb 4, 2009 - 3:02 pm 153. Rachel Peepers:

The “Blame America First” crowd at moveon.org keep sending me their whinings how President Obamination is losing heartland America.

Now they’re whining about the dimwitted Economic Foolishness Package, filled with every piece of pork niggardly nancy and hapless Harry ever dreamed of.

So I did what they asked. I checked every newspaper I could and wrote them a letter from Rachel.

I hope my looney left friends at moveon appreciate all the time and effort I spend in writing letters for my friend, Barack.

Date: Wed 4 Feb 14:08:19 CST 2009
From: “Noah T. Winer, MoveOn.org Political Action” Add To Address Book | This is Spam
Subject: Emergency letter to the editor
To: “rachel peepers”

Conservatives are playing politics with Obama’s stimulus plan while Americans suffer. Can you write a letter to the editor about the real cost of inaction?

Write a letter

Dear MoveOn member,
President Obama’s economic stimulus plan is in trouble. Conservative talking points are dominating the media’s coverage and there’s lots of misinformation around. Here are a few things you may not have heard about it:

1) This is a very, very good bill. As The Nation writes, “If enacted, the economic recovery plan will be one of the biggest and boldest pieces of progressive legislation in the past forty years.”1

Here are some facts about what the bill really does:

Now it’s Rachel talking…and it goes on bla bla bla.

Tweedledee tweedledum, writing editorials for B. Hussein is so much fun.

Feb 4, 2009 - 3:14 pm 154. Will Sharpe:

Give me a break; it’s been two weeks and already the sky is falling. What we’re seeing on this site is a self-fulfilling prophecy: wanting to see Obama fail=inital stumblings with stimulus bill and nominees=America doomed=Armageddon. Grab your guns and get in you nuclear bunkers!

Let’s at least wait 100 days before jumping to desired conclusions.

Feb 4, 2009 - 3:41 pm 155. Rob:

This unknown, unable, untested man, Obama, is not our President. There are now many factions within our government who know the truth. Go back and look at tapes of the inauguration. Observe the look in Robert’s eyes as he looks into Obama’s. He knew. He flubbed the oath out of nervousness, because he was swearing in an illegal alien. And he knew it. America needs to wake up, and soon. This man, Obama, forgets 9/11, forgets our friends, and makes his first official contacts to Muslims and terrorists around the world. Today we learn he was involved in covert dealings with Al Qaeda before he even became President. He can’t find an honest, decent person to serve in his cabinet to save his Muslim soul. Be afraid, America, be very afraid. People in the government are afraid, or they would make the truth known, and they would solve the problem. Think about it.

Feb 4, 2009 - 3:43 pm 156. Will Sharpe:

Mongoose:

“Now, every word I said is coming true, and at a rate that I never imagined could happen.”

Can you outline the next four years for me? I left my magic eight ball at home?

My oh my, how it must feel to see into the future!

Feb 4, 2009 - 3:50 pm 157. ricpic:

The Emperor Has No Clothes!

Feb 4, 2009 - 4:07 pm 158. CAUTION:

obama = jimmy carter
one trillion dollars we dont have for stuff we dont need for what? to assure a democratic dynasty? obama is making a big mistake with this. please try a smaller deal to see if it works, if it does ok, but if it doesnt, it ends with out trashing the currency.

Feb 4, 2009 - 4:37 pm 159. Lloyd:

“VI. Give Biden a key assignment: something like an Al Gore reforming government thing—anything other than commentary on foreign policy….”

I’m sorry if someone said this already in the comments–

President Obama can’t do as suggested here. Senator Biden was added to the ticket to give candidate Obama credibility on foreign policy. He is supposed to be one of the administration’s experts on the subject.

Remember that now-Secretary of State Clinton was ridiculed for the “3am phone call” ad because she wasn’t ready for foreign policy any more than Mr. Obama was.

For a year or so, we’re stuck with Mr. Biden as the foreign policy commenter-in-chief. Maybe by then President Obama can go solo.

Feb 4, 2009 - 4:42 pm 160. fear Obama:

President Obama’s Wall Street salary cap may be well intentioned and it certainly taps into public sentiment, but it’s a killer for New York.
“Without the talent of Wall Street to bring us back into a position of leadership in the global economy, we’re going to be in bad shape as a world economic power,” said Kathryn Wilde of the Partnership for New York.
Wylde says the Obama salary cap will lead to a critical brain drain – China and the United Arab Emirates have already come to poach Wall Street talent. She also says lower salaries in the financial industry will mean dramatically lower tax revenues for the city and state.

I think NY NY is having a fear Obama.

Chinese Brain Drains.

You cant make this Shiite up.

Feb 4, 2009 - 4:43 pm 161. To Ellie #68:

Your request looked legitimate to me, as the format was that of business notes of an era where writers still had manners. Please ignore the snarkers, as they can’t imagine that intelligent life actually existed on the planet before they were born. In their tiny interior world, our Founding Documents were written & WWII won, with full awareness of how cache memories function.

Ellie, your private information shows on your screen only – nobody else here can see it and it’s not actually ‘included’ in the Write a Comment section. Your computer ‘remembers’ the information for your convenience, so you won’t need to re-type it each time. Even though you can see your own info with each visit, nothing happens until you click the ’submit’ button below the comment-box. Submitted comments do not display your Email address, so your privacy remains protected.

Hope you get this,
kathy

Feb 4, 2009 - 4:46 pm 162. Aureliano:

Can you outline the next four years for me? I left my magic eight ball at home?

Well now, who needs a magic eight ball when all one needs for the next four years are some knee pads?

Or did the media buy up all of those?

Also, who needs an outline when one has pithy self-righteous slogans:

Not my president Dear Leader!
Got utopia?
Buck Farack!

Ahhhh, the next four years will be SO much fun ….

Feb 4, 2009 - 4:50 pm 163. Fred2:

Hanson is letting the West and America off the hook for a whole series of vicious anti-Islamic policies: The society-distorting practice of paying hundreds of billions of dollars a year into Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, among others, just because they live near the oil deposits. Unearned income of that magnitude creates guilt and feelings of inferiority.

Rudely thrusting pearl-divers, goat-herders and camel-drivers into the maelstrom of the world economy and polity was, and is, totally unfair and psychologically traumatic. Far better to have quietly pumped the oil out from under their feet. The world would be at peace and our economy strong.

It’s not too late. Impoverish the Muslim world and they won’t be able to do anything about the “Missing” oil. Truly poor nations do not start world wars. They can’t.

Feb 4, 2009 - 4:53 pm 164. stuart Williamson:

The DEMs told America that experience, character and statesmanship are out of style, and what the country needs is a change to youth and personality and niceness to everybody. And that’s all we got, except for self-adulation unseen since Louis IV, the Sun King, around whom the planets revolved. Leroy Soul-ay.

The White House is now a madhouse of conflicting interests, egos, agenda, and personal ambitions. David Axelrod has got the fabulous PERSONALITY KID in away over his head. Nobody knows who is really in charge in he Oval Office, Or is anyone in charge? Has the Kid ( I won, you lost ) told the apostles that he’s tHE is going to call the shots and they’d better not forget it?

It is kind of basic. You don’t shove your lightweight champion KID into the ring with welterweights without some serious sparring in training and a few KOs in preliminaries. The DNC and the Chicago Daley Gang put their airy-fairy KID into heavyweight contention – and he’s no natural. He may float like a butterfly, but his lack of skill and ability is showing up before the first round is half over. Heavyweight opponents don’t pull their punches because you’re cute and want everybody to love you. He’s failing and he’s flailing, aand he’s got so many managers he doesn’t know who to listen to. And he’s got a lot of high-rollers who put megabucks on him and will turn mean if they don’t get their payback. And his European fans aren’t cheering since he kicked them in their exports. Already he is running scared.

This is the Democrats’ reward for turning a blind eye on the KID’s total inadequacy. It is such a schamozzle, so early that it is hard to see how they can turn things around and keep him from self-destructing.

Dr. Hanson might say the KID is a modern-day Icarus.

Feb 4, 2009 - 5:14 pm 165. JonathanL:

My head is spinning.

First I was convinced (during the general election) that Obama was the Flim-Flam Man, destined to take this country right down the toilet promising Huey Long bulls–t to the peoples. Then when he won I hit the bong and said to myself “Self, the guy really can’t be that bad, maybe he just said a lot of stuff to get elected and will become a true centrist when he has the reins and answers only to his Higher Power….”

Then came the day of Coronation and I dropped the bong and grabbed my jar of Fairy Dust and said “this is truly a transformational day for our country, I love this man….”

Now, after only two weeks of Hope and Change do I wake up and realize that his Higher Power is actually a guy named Marx and we are all f__ked….

Going back to the bong now….

Feb 4, 2009 - 5:14 pm 166. LeighB:

I wish Hillary were President. What a shame that her candidacy was not also viewed as historic. She was so much better prepared than BHO. With her, we would get out of this mess. With him, not so sure.

Feb 4, 2009 - 5:28 pm 167. Marino:

Obama is still running against “Bush policies”. He is trying to govern as the anti-Bush.

Feb 4, 2009 - 5:33 pm 168. Marc Malone:

#101 Kirk Peterson – This is not trivial. You’re right that these are small things, but they are the basic things. He’s trying to form a Cabinet, and he’s blowing it. As for it blowing over, the thing to note is that in two weeks, his approval rating has dropped from 80% to 55%. Trivial?

#110 Valerie – Do you know who Newt Gingrich is? He’s the guy who engineered the Republican Revolution in ‘94 after Clinton blew his first two years. It was he who balanced the budget that Clinton took credit for. It was he who lowered the taxes that led to the boom of the late 90’s. Read his books. They’re solid. He stepped down becaus of some minor flap of dubious nature. The country went downhill soon after as the Pubs lost his leadership and started spending. So, why would you hate to say what you said? The man is solid.

#154 Will Sharpe – We don’t need to wait 100 days to see if he eventually gets it right. If we wait, he won’t get it right… and the boobs won’t know it. We have to scream and holler when he gets it wrong. We’re the voters. That’s our job; to hold him accountable.

Feb 4, 2009 - 5:56 pm 169. Lynn:

Well, we had our first terror attack today in Arkansas. Car bomb attack on a Dr.’s vehicle. Pretty much tells me how it’s going to go down. Authorities are being tightlipped, but say it was a terrorist attack. Thank you President “mealy mouth” Obama. Metrosexual just doesn’t work with terrorists.

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:08 pm 170. TLM:

At this point, only a few comments to add to the above:

Daschle’s tax problems were an issue during his last Senate race. This guy wasn’t vetted at all, which means he had some major Washington insiders backing him. Same old DC bs. Geithner should go, but either way it’s too late for Team Obama, the master manipulators of symbolism during the election, to not lose face on this one. A tax-cheat Treasury Secretary plus good ol’ boy Daschle translates into hopenchange = hypocrisy.

Our Cassandra-like VP warned us months ago Obama would be tested. Knowing him to be blindly stupid, few listened… Sorry, that’s a stretch. Everyone knew Obama would be tested, and it dawned on Joe towards the end of the campaign. We were just hoping Biden would spill some inside info for us to chew on. Anyway, we were to worry about how BO would respond in a crisis. The first “crisis” for Obama may be his psychological response to his waning popularity as he makes mistakes and decisions unpopular to his base. We’ll see if that famous composure remains intact when his cheerleaders in the press and on the blogs fall silent. Don’t forget, Obama has never been faced with that particular challenge in his entire life. He’s always been popular we are told. And George Bush, who seemingly remained unfazed through years of rampant BDS, has raised the bar pretty high for a president remaining unflappable.

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:48 pm 171. Jeff B.:

Bravo, bravo, bravo!!! Unfortunately, reading this article makes me feel like all of your recommendations are somewhat probable, when in reality I’m sure they’re the farthest thing from all of these power-consolidators’ minds. As Emmanuel said best, this is the opportunity they’ve all been waiting for and they’re not going to let it go to waste. As long as the unions, trial lawyers, and entitlement-hungry crowds get fed, then they can be confident of another election victory.

On a side-note, is there any chance of your martyring yourself and running for state-wide office? Those of us who do not want to see Ayn Rand’s vision come to fruition need someone like you, desperately!

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:51 pm 172. tanstaafl:

Funny, Jonathan (#165)

I think my…evolution…is along the same lines, without the bong

Feb 4, 2009 - 6:58 pm 173. thegre8_1:

We have another Reagan if he wants Bobby Jindal. He makes Obama look like a South Park kid. He and Michelle Bachmann would be a great team in 2012.

If a Dem had to win last year we would have been better off with a third Billary term.

Blago is available until his trial if Obama needs help at least Blago has been a governor.

Obama must throw Pelosi and Reed under the bus instead of letting them drive it into the side of a mountain. Get a spine Barry.

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:08 pm 174. Matt R.:

He’s certainly off to a nice start with his expansion of children’s health insurance. It won’t be long until he starts chipping away at healthcare for everyone. But what he’s not counting on is that America is not as far left-wing as he is and we’re all starting to wake up from the MSM hangover.

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:11 pm 175. MikeD:

Oh Good Jesus, LeighB; that would just make a truly bad situation abyssmal. have you forgotten how bad the Clinton years were? And Hillary has no more skills than the Chicago clown.

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:21 pm 176. Fresh Bilge » FB Randoms:

[...] Victor Davis Hanson fears the President will become a figure of ridicule. [...]

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:23 pm 177. Steeple:

Fred2, are you suggesting that the West should have just expropriated the oil from Middle Eastern countries? Really? And the West was “vicious” for paying for the resource? How is VDH letting anyone off of the hook here?

While it pains me to think of where this money goes and what it is used for, can you give me a 20th century example of where your suggested approach has gone well? I’m all for impoverishing the Muslim world, so do you suggest that we invade all of the Arab OPEC countries then?

Feb 4, 2009 - 7:38 pm 178. Ron Kean:

I wish W. was president.

Feb 4, 2009 - 8:56 pm 179. TLM:

Odd that renditions, that “unconstitutional” Bush policy despised almost as much as sequestering terrorist combatants at Guantanamo, was left in place by Obama, even as he plans to close our Cuban Long Kesh within a year. What gives? Obama realizes he cannot release the detainees (assuming he could find a country to take them) without running a significant risk of blowback during his first term. What to do? The ol’ disappearing rabbit trick. Transfer the prisoners to — in some cases back to — the infamous secret CIA prisons, classify the details, and close Guantanamo to world acclaim. He’s already proven a little legerdemain goes a long way. So watch his hands while he talks out of both sides of his mouth about terrorist detainees.

Feb 4, 2009 - 9:08 pm 180. Vinson:

ok first of all its only been two freaking weeks. how can you judge a presidency on only 2 weeks.
second where are you getting some of these facts such as “He has bragged on himself ad nauseam in very Bidenesque weird ways (best qualified VP in history he booms)”
oh and one more thing, i everyone is human, we all make mistakes, that includes maybe forgetting to pay taxes. why do people make such a big deal about this?

Feb 4, 2009 - 9:17 pm 181. InThisDimension:

Given the analysis here, which is right on-target, does anyone believe we will not be looking soon at President Biden, and can you imagine what a disaster that would be? President Pelosi? President Byrd? What a complete mess American voters have made – and no way out, it seems.

Feb 4, 2009 - 9:24 pm 182. narciso:

Fred2, seems to ignorant of the great body of the professor’s work. He has spoken at length of the Wahhabi subsidy received from Saudi oil, and the need to starve them of that cash. It’s possible this economic crisis may go some ways to achieving that goal. but the news of the Interior Secretary
Salazar, revoking current oil leases in Utah, among other steps, doesn’t fill me with confidence Going on the Saudi Al Arabiya,apologizing for our conduct in the war on terror. Granting the long held Saudi
wishlist of closing Gitmo, also doesn’t provide any further security. Neither does this mishapen ’stimulus’ plan

Feb 4, 2009 - 9:26 pm 183. DaveinPhoenix:

You know America is toast when even Russia refuses to bail out (reward failure) companies. Funny how they can cut budgets in Russia, but not in America. —->

Moscow abandons bail-outs for bank aid

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5b3cf80a-f2ac-11dd-abe6-0000779fd2ac.html

Russia signalled a change in its policies to fight the financial crisis on Wednesday, indicating that it would switch from bailing out individual companies to supporting the economy through the banking sector.

Moscow also plans huge budget cuts in an attempt to limit its fiscal deficit – rejecting pressure to follow the US and other western countries to try to stimulate the economy with a big boost in public borrowing.

Feb 4, 2009 - 9:34 pm 184. Jenn M.:

Does anybody read 177+ comments? Anyway, “Part V” inspired me to watch Robert Gibbs’ briefing today. He does seem confused and in over-his-head. But a press secretary is supposed to mirror the position of his boss…

The other bonus was watching grotesque Helen Thomas fall asleep on-camera during the briefing. It’s vaguely amusing, occurs about when Gibbs says, “Well, I’m not a trade lawyer…” She seems to have filed a vague column for Hearst today, but I wonder if she even wrote it.

Feb 4, 2009 - 9:58 pm 185. Chlorian Theoreticus:

With the liberal illuminati set to implement a bold new program based upon the bleeding edge of financial theory, circa 1848, the strategic logic of the 1930s, the cultural aesthetic of the 1960s, and the diplomacy of the 1970s–mixed, masticated and reprocessed into a vast bureaucratic olio of “progressive” policy, we can be sure of one thing:

When these policies fail, when they and crash and burn and the world collapses around us, we will be told by the fawning media and the chattering classes that these failures were the results of “fluke” events: “a perfect storm,” that was entirely “unforeseeable.”

Most important of all we must all always remember that critics of the current administration’s policies will in no way—under no circumstances—in no manner whatsoever, be vindicated by said policies’ failures.

Please remember that truth is no longer determined by such mundane and outmoded concepts as “facts,” and “reality.” And, of course, (it seems gauche to even have to mention) such archaic dichotomies as that between “victory” and “defeat” no longer apply as criteria for measuring the success or failure of American foreign policy. By that embarrassingly unsophisticated logic we might even be said to have achieved “victory” in Iraq.

No, truth is now determined by consensus: at university faculty lounges and by the editorial department of the New York Times. Failure is not an option.

Feb 4, 2009 - 10:25 pm 186. American Girl:

Only 45 months left of the Chicago mafia in the White House.

Feb 4, 2009 - 11:01 pm 187. MomToTwo:

Obama is doing just like he has planned for the last 30 years. This has been his intention all along. He was obsessive/compulsive about his campaign. What makes you think his personality all of the sudden changed?

Everything he does is well thought out and part of the plan is to take us down to our lowest level so that HE can fix it with his Socialist/Communist ideas. He truly believes America would be better off if it were controlled by HIM.

The only thing that has messed up this bill getting passed is the fact that the internet and a few journalists have let the word get out. He tried very hard to make this bill sound like it had to be signed ASAP – even though most of the money won’t be spent for years. Really now. How much difference will a month make when most of it won’t affect us for years? This mistake will affect us for generations. If he had control of ALL the media, and he will shortly, this bill would have passed. He was afraid this would happen. That people would be aware of what was in the bill because he knew they would be furious. He won’t allow this to happen again. That is what is really scary. He will make sure nothing negative is said about him or there will be a price to pay.

He must be stopped. I hope the Republicans all have a pair.

Feb 4, 2009 - 11:04 pm 188. TAF:

#104: I would suggest Sarah Palin – Fred Thompson in 2012.

Gov. Palin truly is a ‘normal’ person, something this Country has not seen in major office since the 1800’s (Truman was close, but he was in politics for too long to be a regular person by the time he became President).

Sen. Thompson would bring an underlying philosophy that could serve as ground truth to keep things moving in the ‘right’ direction.

I doubt very much if the current President will listen to VDH’s advice; they are so very un-Chicago like.

Feb 4, 2009 - 11:28 pm 189. ken buxton:

I am hesistant to comment on US domestic affairs as an alien from terra australis. However, I offer the following quote in honour of your classically trained author.
‘capax imperii nisi imperasset’ (He seemed capable of being a power until he tried to be one.) Tacitus’epitaph on a Roman Emperor.

Feb 4, 2009 - 11:39 pm 190. vivo:

49. Mongoose:

“Vivo: Projecting again,”

You didn’t get it. That was actually a compliment for Hanson. Can’t read short sentences?

Feb 4, 2009 - 11:44 pm 191. vivo:

56. Joseph, NY:

“Is anyone surprised? Really, POTUS is Obama’s first real job.”

We suffered 8 years of Bush, so now let’s suffer 4 years of Obama. That’s the American way, we are such great martyrs.

Feb 4, 2009 - 11:48 pm 192. vivo:

72. Pops in Vienna:

“Funny, but Obama apparently has blown a great chance to be everything his supporters thought he was going to be.”

EVERY President has a learning curve.

Backseat drivers abound.

Feb 4, 2009 - 11:57 pm 193. liberty4usa:

The media has forsaken us.

Many argue that this has been so for decades.

Many others maintain the media of today has crossed into unprecedented territory, and I agree with the latter.

The unique responsibility as guardians of truth has been usurped by self infection of the biased mind.

It is natural for mankind to contemplate the state of ones existence- and to seek to better that state when opportunity presents itself.

However, perceived opportunity does not always correlate with real opportunity.
Our press, having put all their eggs in one basket, has taken this leap of faith by leaving behind the ballast that formed their core, objectivity.

Now like the eggs in the basket, they find themselves vulnerable and under attack. These conditions are well deserved.
Unilaterally disarming oneself leaves you at the mercy of someone else to protect you.
They are now disarmed with a new master and looking increasingly foolish. The new master does not protect them, he uses them for his purposes.

The problem is, we Americans never fired them, we do need our media. We need them to do their job. We need them to jump back to where they can reclaim their mightiest weapon, an objective pen.

This seems increasingly unlikely, so, we have now begun to look for others to fulfill this duty.

We will find them. We will hire them. We will remind them to always carry that big stick, never be charmed into giving it up!

The others will be left holding their basket of broken eggs.

Feb 5, 2009 - 12:27 am 194. Libertyship46:

Well, this is what you get when you elect an inexperienced Democratic hack to the most powerful position in the world. And, with his only claim to fame being that he edited the Harvard Law Review Journal (Ooooooo, isn’t that impressive, let’s make him President of the United States for that), the country pretty much deserves what it gets. I just hope the mainstream media is happy that they boosted this incompetant fool to power. It is “obvious” that they had America’s best interests at heart. Now you know why people don’t watch network news or read newspapers anymore.

Feb 5, 2009 - 5:22 am 195. fear Obama:

164. stuart Williamson:

The DEMs told America that experience, character and statesmanship are out of style, and what the country needs is a change to youth and personality and niceness to everybody.

enjoyed your comment

Feb 5, 2009 - 5:24 am 196. Peter the Bubblehead:

140. Charles Wolf wrote:
I believe those rules “the great one” has imposed on the Wall Streeters who ask for great amounts of money is against our constitution with regards to contracts. What say you?

Peter writes: I think it all sets a bad precedent. If the government can dictate what the employees of the firms taking government money are allowed to be paid, how long before the government starts dictating to businesses that aren’t taking government bail-outs? And eventually that will trickle down to everyday small businesses. Before you know it, the government has put a cap on everything anyone can earn, but no cap on what they can charge in taxes and fees.

Feb 5, 2009 - 6:51 am 197. Ron Kean:

151. Red Blooded American

“Bush and his neoconservative ideology is thoroughly discredited.”

It is not. There is a psychological state called Bush Derangement Syndrome that portrays Bush as something that he is not. There are no law suits against him and Libby is the one exception that makes the rule. The truth is that he was an honest man who angered people. This is not unusual. But he freed people too.

Not one freedom in this country has been damaged. Networks of Islamic killers have been decimated. The implosion of the economy has been predicted for decades. Everybody knew it was a house of cards. You knew it too.

The world and the UN is crazy. His opponents don’t appreciate the fight for freedom.

Neocons are just people who used to be leftists and changed to embrace conservative views. That’s why we former leftists understand you. Been there. Done that.

Feb 5, 2009 - 7:17 am 198. Peter the Bubblehead:

179. TLM wrote:
What to do? The ol’ disappearing rabbit trick. Transfer the prisoners to — in some cases back to — the infamous secret CIA prisons, classify the details, and close Guantanamo to world acclaim.

Peter writes: The only problem with this is the same exec order that closes Gitmo also closed ALL secret CIA overseas prisons. The intention was that Obama would simply give the terrorist thugs in Gitmo back to their own respective countries. It never once occurred to him that those countries wouldn’t want them any more than we do.

Feb 5, 2009 - 7:28 am 199. Peter the Bubblehead:

180. Vinson wrote:
everyone is human, we all make mistakes, that includes maybe forgetting to pay taxes. why do people make such a big deal about this?

Peter writes: EXCUSE ME?? We all make mistakes? What’s the big deal??? Just where do you think YOU would be, Mister Vinson, if you owed $140K in back taxes that you convieniently ‘forgot’ to pay? I canm assure you it wouldn’t be in a cabinet position. How the HECK do you FORGET to pay taxes? It comes up EVERY YEAR on April 15th! You either have to be the biggest moron in history or a crook.

Guess which way my opinion is leaning?

Feb 5, 2009 - 7:33 am 200. Cybergeezer:

185. Chlorian Theoreticus:
Yes; And it is all the responsibility of George Bush and his failed policies; Congress had nothing to do with it! Hardee, har, har.

Feb 5, 2009 - 7:54 am 201. Kenny Darter:

I’ve talked to so many people who voted Dem last year and regret it. I guarantee that hate that’s building up right now will result in a major electoral victory for the GOP in 2010. Just be patient, and watch the hate. http://hateonme.com/

Feb 5, 2009 - 8:31 am 202. Jeff Perren:

“[W]hy did the Party allow itself to deteriorate to this degree?”

In large part because its leaders are morally disarmed by the Left. They apologize for supporting values that make human flourishing possible: individual liberty, self-interest, the pursuit of property.

They me-too the Democrats at every turn, for example, squabbling over how much should be spent by the Feds on X or Y to ’stimulate’ the economy rather than confidently declaring that it is not the function of the government to fix the problem (other than by repealing legislation and getting out of the way).

They fear standing up boldly and saying “We owe no one an apology for being successful, free, and able.”

In short, they share the same basic premises as their opponents for the most part because they have neither the wisdom nor courage to challenge them. They feel uncomfortable – in part because the news media will wag fingers at them – openly stating that freedom is good, freedom is practical, and they lack the ability to defend that view.

Many of them, as power lusters who are naturally attracted to politics, are actually fine with perpetual crises that the Feds themselves create or enlarge and only cringe when asked to do something constructive about it. Then they make a big noise about “the people this and the poor that and the evil, greedy businessmen who caused all this.”

They are after all individual people and that view is shared by roughly half the country. The government we have is a reflection of the electorate, made worse by generations of Progressive philosophy that has successfully inculcated deep guilt about wanting to live free and well.

Feb 5, 2009 - 8:59 am 203. JFM:

Neocons are just people who used to be leftists and changed to embrace conservative views

In my particular case it was Cambodia who turned me from a leftist into a neocon. When I learned about the genocide perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge and saw the indifference of the people who had been oh so concerned about the fate of Vietnamese and Cambodians less than a decade before.

That is how I, we, parted with the left. Those for whom Cambodians and Vietnamese were just nyakwes who were no longer useful stayed in the left. Those for whom they were human beings turned neocons. Not conservatives that is a very different thing.

Feb 5, 2009 - 9:11 am 204. Peter the Bubblehead:

Could plug-in hybrid cars actually increase greenhouse gas emissions? Is energy efficiency being oversold as a greenhouse gas reduction measure? A new report from the research arm of Congress raises troubling questions about the direction in which President Obama is taking us.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,488546,00.html

Feb 5, 2009 - 9:15 am 205. Mongoose:

VivO: Nobody but lefty, Democrat numskulls like you “suffered under 8 years of Bush”. They rest of us were glad that he was there.

And BTW, that was acne that you were “suffering under” these last 8 years and not GWB. That and your suboptimal grade average, no doubt.

(Were you even out of high school when Bush first took office?)

This is not part of a “Learning Curve”; it is a fiasco, and experienced and concerned citizens are not “back seat drivers” because they point it out. This is not Daddy’s car, this is our country that is in the hands of this incompetent poseur. You are projecting your vile behavior on decent and unauthentic Americans. You would be better of to acquire a little humility and listen to them for they are much wiser than you.

You would know this if you had any real experience. What are you 24 or or something? Seriously, you need to try to actually learn something other then Left-wing apologetics. The Democrats will not be given you a job. Far from it.

So far, Obama’s administration is the most amateurish one in living memory. He makes Carter look like a regular Ronald Reagan. You would understand this if you had any memories at all about these things.

He makes mistake that a small business owner would not make. 48 is a little late to have your first real job. He has never managed a thing before. He has never done anything of an meaning before in his life. “Learning Curve”, indeed.

Feb 5, 2009 - 9:38 am 206. Will Sharpe:

#168 Marc,

I completely agree that we are the voters and do need to be heard, but your statement of saying, “when he gets it wrong” is the exact sort of self-fulfilling prophecy I’m talking about. Congress has a big say in this, and it’s their responsibility–at our behest–to cut the frivolity out of the stimulus package (and hopefully drop the price below $650 bil) to at least attempt to assuage the economic crisis we’re in now. So while he (and Congress) may get it wrong, it does not mean right now he (and Congress) will get it wrong. What do you propose, we the people should do to help get the economy back on tract (and I won’t accept impeachment as an answer)?

Feb 5, 2009 - 9:41 am 207. scared:

Obama has made a mockery of the position, president of the united states.

It is clear he is naive and unfit for the office, yet over and over we see excuses for, what seems, a child’s brain.

Not only is he failing as POTUS, but he is using his Chicago style ways to close out opposition, muzzle free speech. He went after Rush Limbaugh (not someone I listen to, but still believe in free speech), and I read he’s strong arming more of the media, like online news portals, such as realclearpolitics, to shut up those that oppose him, or those that question his citizenship and legality of his post as POTUS.

None of this looks or “feels” right. This is what Americans will respond to. They are intuitively and inherently feeling that something is really wrong here.

Feb 5, 2009 - 10:43 am 208. Let us hope He changes « Smash Mouth Politics:

[...] An Obamaplosion [...]

Feb 5, 2009 - 11:46 am 209. kathy:

184. Jenn M.
Yes, some us do read 170+ on VDH. You say “The other bonus was watching grotesque Helen Thomas fall asleep on-camera during the briefing”? I try to avoid the painfully baffoonish Gibbs if possible, but for Helen Thomas falling asleep I’ll make an exception. Geez, she was older than God during the First Gulf War when she earned a special place in my heart with endless “When’s the groundwar gonna start” shout-outs. She & Bagdad Bob were the Best. Thanks for the tip.

Feb 5, 2009 - 11:51 am 210. The Historian:

LAWYERS ARE SPINNERS, OBAMA INCLUDED
Obama cannot escape his training and Harvard law education.

http://greensrealworld.blogspot.com/2009/02/our-spinning-president-parses-truth.html

Feb 5, 2009 - 12:01 pm 211. Zane:

Weird how most of left buys into its own political rhetoric as “strait-out fact” rather than the clever work with words and minds that it is. Even the Pres.

All of their sloganeering, the straw man arguments, the damning definitions and tags assigned to political opponents, as well as their play on the fears and ignorance of the masses have won over millions and continue to energize their base.

No matter what you say or do, a sizable number of these peps will be forever entrenched in this MoveOn mindset.

Must the right finally build its machine, that Vast Rightwing Conspiracy that was reputed to have existed during the last democrat administration? Or should we continue to try to reason with them?

Why aren’t the quiet arguments of men like VDH ever enough?

Why are most people so easily duped?

Feb 5, 2009 - 12:37 pm 212. Carl Sesar:

Obama is up to no good, and the longer he remains in office, the worse things will get.

But there’s a quick fix long overdue, that might’ve kept him out of office from the get-go. It’s the Constitution, that says no person, except a natural born citizen, shall be eligible to the office of president. There’s no statute of limitations on this. It’s the law of the land.

Nobody knows this better than Constitutional law student and teacher, Obama himself. Why else won’t he release his birth certificate, currently under lock and key in Hawaii, but that it’ll prove he’s not a natural born citizen, and show him up for the big liar he is?

At least Obama takes the Constitution seriously. That’s a lot more than can be said for the rest of us, and that includes the Supreme Court even, twiddling fingers, scratching their heads, while a brazen Obama gives us the choice: either him or the Constitution.

A scandalously misinformed and media-brainwashed electorate remains oblivious to this matter. Congress fails to question his eligibility, and pundits are silent, or dismiss the issue with contempt, as David Horowitz has done out of fear. It’s too hot to handle.

But, until it’s resolved, President Obama ain’t the president, period. Now, that’s scary!

Feb 5, 2009 - 12:49 pm 213. Mark Rinzel:

From that bastion of Obama-loving, left-wing propoganda: The Economist.

The danger of writing off Barack Obama

THIS week is bringing a flurry of articles along the general theme of “is the presidency of Barack Obama doomed?” There are a few reasons to ignore them. For example, here is Victor Davis Hanson (pictured) in National Review, today, in a post that’s making the blogospheric rounds:

“We are quite literally after two weeks teetering on an Obama implosion—and with no Dick Morris to bail him out—brought on by messianic delusions of grandeur, hubris, and a strange naivete that soaring rhetoric and a multiracial profile can add requisite cover to good old-fashioned Chicago politicking.”

Here’s Victor Davis Hanson in National Review, September 2008:

“No Northern Democratic liberal like Obama has won the presidency in a half-century…The new Obama probably will recover from his temporary setback in the polls. But right now his problem is that disappointed independent voters are catching on that this saintly savior is all too human.”

Here’s Victor David Hanson in National Review, March 2008:

“Barack Obama is on his way to a McGovern candidacy.”

Here’s Victor Davis Hanson in National Review, March 2008 (again):

“Obama is crashing in all the polls, especially against McCain, against whom he doesn’t stack up well, given McCain’s heroic narrative, the upswing in Iraq, and the past distance between McCain and the Bush administration.”

Predicting a president’s doom is a high-risk game. Or it would be, if pundits were held as accountable as, say, cabinet nominees.

Feb 5, 2009 - 12:58 pm 214. Karin:

Great article and superb comments. The only thing I have to add is:

glc at #111: How is the world did this person end up at your dinner table in your own home? Unexpected moonbat spouse of an acquaintance? I would have done an unflattering spittake with a mouthful of food.

Feb 5, 2009 - 1:07 pm 215. Texmom:

Wonderful column, sir. I think it is written with such a sincere wish for the good of the country.

Unfortunately, I think his agenda will not allow him to follow such suggestions. “…increasingly an excuse for European socialism that has now imploded from Greece to the UK.” I think that’s exactly where he wants to go, so he’s not going to do anything to change that direction.

Feb 5, 2009 - 1:36 pm 216. TLM:

Peter @198:

I understand the President’s order. New detainees undergoing rendition will have to be kept somewhere under the watchful eye of the CIA or the military, or other US agencies. I don’t think they will be rendered to foreign countries without us maintaining control over them.

Similarly, if Obama closes the Guantanamo facility, he will need a new arrangement somewhere to hold many of the prisoners currently detained there. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these detainees don’t find their way into the rendition program.

I find Obama’s rationale for closing Guantanamo contradicts that for maintaining rendition. Both are in legal gray areas and both get bad PR. Of course the program he continued is more difficult for journalists, lawyers, etc to access. Smoke and mirrors won out, Guantanamo closes eventually. Like magic, problem solved.

Feb 5, 2009 - 1:50 pm 217. Jim C:

You article is perfect in every stretch of the word. From giving Biden a job to complaining about Rush, I have been saying and thinking the exact same things.

I’ll take it one step further: Obama needs to stop campaigning. He still says whatever will get the most applause, depending upon who he’s speaking in front of. He was able to spin his remarks during his campaign, but it can’t last too long at the White House. He is no longer a Democrat…he is President. He must do what’s best for this country, not his party.

Feb 5, 2009 - 2:49 pm 218. Marc Malone:

#206 Will Sharpe – I have proffered my suggestions in many threads. They mostly boil down to “reverse the stupid laws that lead up to this mess and get the gov’t out of the way”. To go into detail here would be repetitious and off topic.

Feb 5, 2009 - 3:00 pm 219. Cybergeezer:

201. Kenny Darter:
What’s your problem with “common sense”, and a survival instinct?

Feb 5, 2009 - 4:32 pm 220. Cybergeezer:

When “His Emptiness” ends the U.S. presidency, which couldn’t come soon enough for me, He can go to the U.K. where he would be “made” Prime Minister. A more fitting title for this uber-human.

Feb 5, 2009 - 4:41 pm 221. Laura:

Great advice, but I expect it will fall on deaf ears. Obama, I fear, believes his own rhetoric. He’s arrogant and haughty, and his hubris won’t allow him to admit such a fundamental flaw in either his character or his abilities. And to make matters worse, he’s surrounded himself by arrogant ideologues who are more blind than he is.

The arrogance, I think, is the basic characteristic that he shares with Jimmy Carter who still, after all these years, thinks that he and he alone knows what is best for everyone else.

It’s not only going to be a long 4 years, but a catastrophic one that will produce irreversible and very harmful structural changes to America and to its place in the world.

I think I need a drink.

Feb 5, 2009 - 5:28 pm 222. Oakley:

Obama’s inexperience and ego won’t let him “change”. He said it time and time again during the campaign that he is out to deliver “change”. And he is doing just that.

He is too steeped in socialism/liberalism/Marxism to be anything but the cup of tea that he is. What you see is what you get.

Too bad America didn’t see this slow train comin’ up around the bend during the campaign.

Look for more debacles throughout the next 4 years….

Feb 5, 2009 - 6:19 pm 223. Ron Kean:

I wish everybody here would use their real names. It’s just more honest.

Feb 5, 2009 - 6:40 pm 224. TLM:

Mark Rinzel:

In 2008 most pundits got their predictions wrong. And whether they did or not, predictions made during the election mean nothing at this point.

Assessing possible consequences from further mistakes made by Team Obama should be a little more accurate, and worrisome. I take this article more as a warning than a prediction. That may be splitting hairs, but if a crisis is generated from Obama’s first awkward baby steps as president, the distinction will be irrelevant.

Feb 5, 2009 - 6:50 pm 225. Analysis from Victor Davis Hanson « Truth, Lies and In Between:

[...] Hope He Can Change An Obamaplosion [...]

Feb 5, 2009 - 6:54 pm 226. vivo:

205. Mongoose:

I’m awed at your bright intelligence. My grades probably don’t compare with yours. Forgive my intellectual inferiority.

What’s the big “fiasco”? Overlooking that the public opinion (as if they are saints in heaven) would care about a correctable mistake? At least he didn’t trigger billions of dollars to start an unneeded and wasteful invasion killing many innocent lives. All in the name for fattening his hawkish friends. I bet you McCain would have started three wars by now to “energize” the economy. I’m not saying Democrats wouldn’t do that. Politicians are the servants of the RICH. This is so obvious with Bush. I’m just hoping Obama is not sold out to some of these people. His problem resides in governing with his convictions and ideals or the realities of pushy politicians on both sides. You or anyone would have the same restrictions.

Your rhetoric still sounds like back-seat driver to me. And again, sorry for my lack of
intelligence, oh wise snake-eating god.

Feb 5, 2009 - 8:32 pm 227. BizzyBlog » Obama: 16 Days, And He’s Already at Malaise:

[...] (at Page 3 of his “Work and Days” column) Let us hope that the world doesn’t try to test us this month. And if the outlaws do, let the sober and judicious people (and there are many) in Obama’s foreign policy team be allowed to react. In week three, we are light years from ‘hope and change’; now it is let us “hope he can change.” [...]

Feb 5, 2009 - 9:33 pm 228. Peter the Bubblehead:

220. Cybergeezer wrote:
When “His Emptiness” ends the U.S. presidency, which couldn’t come soon enough for me, He can go to the U.K. where he would be “made” Prime Minister. A more fitting title for this uber-human.

Peter writes: I fully expect Obama to push for one world government during his four years. That way he has another higher office to run for while POTUS and he can go on to become King of the World for his next ‘job.’

(shudder)

Feb 6, 2009 - 5:47 am 229. TLM:

Remember when Bush II was given the moniker “Junior” early in his first term? That stuck for a few years then went away. I think our current neophyte president, the erstwhile junior Senator from IL, is more deserving of that nickname himself. Like a petulant teenager he’s trying to browbeat the opposition, bipartisan in some cases, into signing a stimulus bill the American people seem to reject, and one he took a hands off approach to during its birth to that mad woman Pelosi. He adopts the tactic of fear-mongering — like “Junior” Bush did to promote his war with Iraq — expecting the Republicans to drop and roll over the same way the Dems did in 2002. Same ol’ same ol’ children in charge of our future. We are surely doomed.

Feb 6, 2009 - 6:32 am 230. Robert Winkler Burke:

Obama is simply, powerfully, amazingly Fahrvergnügen:

Straight outta da Uberbahn.

Feb 6, 2009 - 8:15 am 231. Paul -Indiana:

Ron, we are using our real names. I am actually ‘Paul’ and I am in Indiana.

Feb 6, 2009 - 8:30 am 232. briney:

I am feeling more survival’ish these days.

Zip, nada, nein, nothin’ will stop this juggernaut of colossal debt. History has proven Roosevelt’s New Deal appeals to our political madmen’s, ‘Look mommy, that’s so pretty’ mentality. If it glitters, it must be real, right? Of course right!

Feb 6, 2009 - 9:23 am 233. George:

sound advice, but I fear it will not be taken at all or until it is way to late in the game.

Feb 6, 2009 - 10:02 am 234. always right:

231. Paul -Indiana@Feb 6, 2009 – 8:30 am

Ron, we are using our real names. I am actually ‘Paul’ and I am in Indiana.

And I am always right!

Feb 6, 2009 - 10:36 am 235. Peter the Bubblehead:

And I’m really named Peter and really a Bubblehead.

http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/bubblehead/

Feb 6, 2009 - 12:16 pm 236. CitizenJones:

Professor Hanson, that seems like an incredible list of things for Obama to do. Given who he is, and what he has said and done in the past, do you really think he would consider the options you outline here? I do not, and that is unfortunate for the country, in my opinion.

Doing what you recommend would be tantamount to invalidating much of what he said during the campaign, and I can’t believe Obama would do this. I believe that he believes too much in his own rhetoric, or worse, has another agenda in mind: namely, the conversion of a right-center nation to one that is left-of-center, or, even worse, socialist. I believe that as a consolation prize he would be satisfied in just putting a leftist government in place, and cementing it there (perhaps that is a first-term goal!).

What you are proposing negates his goals by being too conservative, too pragmatic, too fiscally responsible (which again, is a conservative characteristic), and would also alienate those with whom he has the real affiliation, the radical left. He desires too much to be the new FDR, an FDR on a grand level.

While I think your analysis is solid and sound, I don’t see it happening. I myself think that our President must fail in his efforts, otherwise this country as we know it will be changed for the ill, perhaps for decades. Obama is on a precipice, desiring to jump (and take us with him) to the faux-hope of a socialist-style American Worker’s Paradise. His only restraint is the consensus of informed public opinion, and the solid opposition of a second party willing to hold him firmly on the high ground we have so far attained.

Feb 6, 2009 - 12:36 pm 237. ThinkingPerson:

Ron Kean…Use our real names? Unless you are on Obama’s official “Hand-outs for Everyone” squad, you have no need of my personal information.

Feb 6, 2009 - 1:33 pm 238. geoffgo:

Kevin @ 70

I now unsure which will come first – WWIII or Civil War 2.

Feb 6, 2009 - 1:49 pm 239. geoffgo:

Sorry, meant Kevin @ 91 – typing by candlelight.

B^(

Feb 6, 2009 - 1:50 pm 240. Oh, bother:

Several people have remarked they lived through the Carter years and won’t relish the re-run. I’ve been one of them. Suddenly I realize (assuming the Republicans pick up some seats in 2010) I may get to relive the endless, ugly effort to impeach Nixon. Ugh.

Feb 6, 2009 - 2:30 pm 241. Paul -Indiana:

It may not be too late for Obambi to recover. I heard yesterday that Michelle Obama intends to get involved in decision making. [I'm so proud of her - NOT!!!]

Feb 6, 2009 - 2:47 pm 242. mr. burns:

The USA is not just broke, it is trillions of dollars in debt . Obamas choice of economic advisors and their actions suggest a coming dollar collapse and consequent hyper-inflation .

Federal Reserve delendum est.

Feb 6, 2009 - 3:31 pm 243. Ron Kean:

LOL

Feb 6, 2009 - 3:51 pm 244. david:

Oh my God! Is this a site for adults or petulant children who lost their toys? Why all the steamy hate?

Feb 6, 2009 - 8:37 pm 245. Mongoose:

Vivo: Well I pareciate your honestly about your limitatiIons, no matter how accidental you admission of them may be. it is a start. f you think that you are sorry for your idiocy and poor grades now, just wait a few years. (seems like I struck a nerve on that grade business–bet I was right about the acne too.)

Again, You completely ignore my points, and call me names. You just repeat Democrat talking points. Earth to Vivo: You are being used by the enemies of you nation. “Bush’s unnecessary war”? What do you know about it? You are barely out of school. You cannot even defend “your” arguments, how can you imagine that you know anything about defending your civilization? You do not even know what your civilization is about. Your “education” consists of little else but Marxist indoctrination. You cannot even get a decent job with that education of yours, and you konw it. Who are you to tell real people what to think or do?

“Oh Snake eating gods” Listen to yourself. This a childish response–an infantile response. Do you think that anyone that matters at all responds to this sort of thing with other than a mixture of pity and contempt. What are you going to do when you are 50 years old and still a loser. You do not have to go this way, you know. Get over this adolescent vanity and go accomplish something. Then someone will respect your opinions. There are plenty of opportunities for happiness and fulfillment for even people like you. At least there will be until the Democrats destroy them.

Vivo: You will have to grow up and face the world sooner or later. Do you think that your parents will live forever. Do it now.

Feb 7, 2009 - 5:25 am 246. Frank Hawkins:

The problem is clear. Obama is a bright young man who would like to do well. But his inexperience and lack of understanding of the global issues are already showing, and even worse, he is surrounded by clowns, tax cheats and ideological know-nothings who are dragging him down. He badly needs Lieberman and the few available reputable Democrat leaders to pull him out of a mess that threatens to destroy him and badly damage our country. It would be smart to draw in more of the moderate Republicans who care more about America than themselves to help him. It’s his only chance.

Feb 7, 2009 - 7:09 am 247. Peter the Bubblehead:

Why is it taking more than 12 hours to moderate a simple comment on this thread? I posted a comment at 2:16PM EST 2/6/09 right after post # 234, and here at 9:20AM EST on 2/7/09 it is still waiting for moderation.

Feb 7, 2009 - 7:21 am 248. johnny go:

Face it: we’re screwed.

Feb 7, 2009 - 1:42 pm 249. Doug Crockett:

Friendly Girl: Satire I presume – your comment sounds like a description of Nero’s performances at the Olympics. I read that Nero inserted dramatic performance into the Olympic Games and performed in them himself. The Greeks weren’t pleased, but went along.

Feb 7, 2009 - 7:14 pm

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