Steven P. BarrettObama -- the “inartful” dodger -- senator keeps dodging old pledges views and other baggage.
July 7th 2008 04:20
Steven Barrett
I found this in a recent Charles Krauthammer column ("Obama Flips and Flops" July 4 Townhall.com) about Sen. Barak Obama's recent transformation. And is that presumptive Democratic nominee ever fast on his feet when it comes to doing an about face! Who knows; since he's getting this part down, he might yet learn enough to be a good Commander-In-Chief. If that's the case, any potato peeling non-com on KP Duty could qualify as his vice presidential running mate.
Krauthammer's got the Changin' Illini's pattern down -- smack down -- on the table for anyone to clearly see. But I was particularly attracted to these paragraphs:
Concerning Obama's suddenly cautious tone on any Iraq pull out, Krauthammer said:
The shift has already begun. Thursday, he said that his "original position" on withdrawal has always been that "we've got to make sure that our troops are safe and that Iraq is stable." And that "when I go to Iraq ... I'll have more information and will continue to refine my policies."
It's good to know Obama wants "to make sure that our troops are safe and that Iraq is stable." Awfully considerate of him to think of our troops' welfare, not to mention betryaying his worst fears of a sudden meltdown of all order shortly after taking office. That sort of stuff doesn't help one's reelection chances -- even for an election some three years later. He was too young to understand the 1968 Tet Offensive, but I'm sure his liberal profs in Harvard were considerate enough to give him both sides about that debacle which was won in the battlefields of Vietnam by our military and thrown away by our profs in academia, the fourth estate, suddenly spineless politicians who not long before were quite hawkish, and of course, those ever pragmatic pragmatists toiling away in the State Department.
Do you think he learned all that at Harvard? Dunno. Some of that stuff I mentioned above is a little above the heads of some people who attended Harvard College then and are teaching there now or when Obama was crossing Harvard Yard.
The next lines were priceless -- for his opposition.
"When I go to Iraq ... I'll have more information and will continue to refine my policies."
You'd think this guy was another Douglas MacArthur just by reading those words "When I go to Iraq." You can bet your combat boots that he'll have a full coterie of media folks and his own camera crew breathlessly awaiting his landing just like Mac landing on Leyte Island. A crumpled cap and a corn-cob pipe for effects, Senator? And by the way, what DO you mean by "continue to refine my policies." Excuse me Senator. You haven't been elected president, yet. How can you have any policies?
Right now the way he keeps on "refining" his views, the media will hand him back his "policies" along with his pipe dreams on a platter of crow.
Such is the possible price of "inartful" dodging one's old ideas whilst in pursuit of refining what he's not yet entitled to claim: policies.
I found this in a recent Charles Krauthammer column ("Obama Flips and Flops" July 4 Townhall.com) about Sen. Barak Obama's recent transformation. And is that presumptive Democratic nominee ever fast on his feet when it comes to doing an about face! Who knows; since he's getting this part down, he might yet learn enough to be a good Commander-In-Chief. If that's the case, any potato peeling non-com on KP Duty could qualify as his vice presidential running mate.
Krauthammer's got the Changin' Illini's pattern down -- smack down -- on the table for anyone to clearly see. But I was particularly attracted to these paragraphs:
Last week, when the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the District of Columbia's ban on handguns, Obama immediately declared that he agreed with the decision. This is after his campaign explicitly told the Chicago Tribune last November that he believes the D.C. gun ban is constitutional.
Obama spokesman Bill Burton explains the inexplicable by calling the November -- i.e., the primary season -- statement "inartful." Which suggests a first entry in the Obamaworld dictionary -- "Inartful: clear and straightforward, lacking the artistry that allows subsequent self-refutation and denial."
Obama spokesman Bill Burton explains the inexplicable by calling the November -- i.e., the primary season -- statement "inartful." Which suggests a first entry in the Obamaworld dictionary -- "Inartful: clear and straightforward, lacking the artistry that allows subsequent self-refutation and denial."
Concerning Obama's suddenly cautious tone on any Iraq pull out, Krauthammer said:
The shift has already begun. Thursday, he said that his "original position" on withdrawal has always been that "we've got to make sure that our troops are safe and that Iraq is stable." And that "when I go to Iraq ... I'll have more information and will continue to refine my policies."
It's good to know Obama wants "to make sure that our troops are safe and that Iraq is stable." Awfully considerate of him to think of our troops' welfare, not to mention betryaying his worst fears of a sudden meltdown of all order shortly after taking office. That sort of stuff doesn't help one's reelection chances -- even for an election some three years later. He was too young to understand the 1968 Tet Offensive, but I'm sure his liberal profs in Harvard were considerate enough to give him both sides about that debacle which was won in the battlefields of Vietnam by our military and thrown away by our profs in academia, the fourth estate, suddenly spineless politicians who not long before were quite hawkish, and of course, those ever pragmatic pragmatists toiling away in the State Department.
Do you think he learned all that at Harvard? Dunno. Some of that stuff I mentioned above is a little above the heads of some people who attended Harvard College then and are teaching there now or when Obama was crossing Harvard Yard.
The next lines were priceless -- for his opposition.
"When I go to Iraq ... I'll have more information and will continue to refine my policies."
You'd think this guy was another Douglas MacArthur just by reading those words "When I go to Iraq." You can bet your combat boots that he'll have a full coterie of media folks and his own camera crew breathlessly awaiting his landing just like Mac landing on Leyte Island. A crumpled cap and a corn-cob pipe for effects, Senator? And by the way, what DO you mean by "continue to refine my policies." Excuse me Senator. You haven't been elected president, yet. How can you have any policies?
Right now the way he keeps on "refining" his views, the media will hand him back his "policies" along with his pipe dreams on a platter of crow.
Such is the possible price of "inartful" dodging one's old ideas whilst in pursuit of refining what he's not yet entitled to claim: policies.
| 64 |
| Vote |
Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
I'm pretty sure his handlers will try to find as many troops as possible who have grudges or want their 15 minutes of fame to complain. That should enable him to talk them up and make himself sound like he knows what he's talking about. Somehow, I doubt that they'll find many, though. The returnees I've spoken to and their families support what they've done and understand how important it is to stabilize the area. My neighbors 2 grandsons went to war. One is still there and doing his job with a smile. The other one lost a leg and is trying to find a way to go back. Obama probably wouldn't want to meet either of them!
Comment by Anonymous
I originally was going to sit this one out because of my distrust for McCain but the way Obama keeps bouncing from pillar to post on many differing issues -- I can't help wondering how soon it'll be before the BIG GUNS in the party don't sit this guy down and say, "Wait a minute ... we just had a grueling primary season you won on delegate strength only ... not votes to a more moderate and sensible candidate, Sen. Clinton -- and if you don't stop all this flip-flopping, we can have you looking like that guy Wendell Wilkie pulled the nomination out from under back in 1940."
Even George McGovern's campaign was more tightly structured than Obama's.
Like cotton candy ... looks great and momentarily tastes great until you take a bite ... then it's gone.
Obama's ideas. For the nation's and world's sake, I hope I'm wrong because it looks like a good bet he'll beat McCain who'll get beaten by his own party and goofs. When you're 71 and look 81, goofs take on a suddenly different perspective in voters' eyes -- especially middle age and younger voters.