We’ve mentioned before how President Obama working without an electronic net can be a disquieting event to behold. All of the Western World has embraced the cultural truth that Obama is a brillant and rare orator.
That is, of course, a myth. And it seems that journalists on the other side of the pond have taken notice, too.
John Crace at the UK’s Guardian has deconstructed Obama’s answer to a very good question:
Nick Robinson: "A question for you both, if I may. The prime minister has repeatedly blamed the United States of America for causing this crisis. France and Germany both blame Britain and America for causing this crisis. Who is right? And isn’t the debate about that at the heart of the debate about what to do now?"
Obama’s answer was not pretty, but it’s funnier with Crace’s imagined asides:
Brown immediately swivels to leave Obama in pole position. There is a four-second delay before Obama starts speaking [THANKS FOR NOTHING, GORDY BABY. REMIND ME TO HANG YOU OUT TO DRY ONE DAY.]
Barack Obama: "I, I, would say that, er … pause [I HAVEN’T A CLUE] … if you look at … pause [WHO IS THIS NICK ROBINSON JERK?] … the, the sources of this crisis … pause [JUST KEEP GOING, BUDDY] … the United States certainly has some accounting to do with respect to . . . pause [I’M IN WAY TOO DEEP HERE] … a regulatory system that was inadequate to the massive changes that have taken place in the global financial system … pause, close eyes [THIS IS GOING TO GO DOWN LIKE A CROCK OF SH!T BACK HOME. HELP].
I think what is also true is that … pause [I WANT NICK ROBINSON TO DISAPPEAR] … here in Great Britain … pause [SHIT, GORDY’S THE HOST, DON’T LAND HIM IN IT] … here in continental Europe … pause [DAMN IT, BLAME EVERYONE.] … around the world. We were seeing the same mismatch between the regulatory regimes that were in place and er … pause [I’VE LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT AGAIN] … the highly integrated, er, global capital markets that have emerged … pause [I’M REALLY WINGING IT NOW].
So at this point, I’m less interested in … pause [YOU] … identifying blame than fixing the problem. I think we’ve taken some very aggressive steps in the United States to do so, not just responding to the immediate crisis, ensuring banks are adequately capitalised, er, dealing with the enormous, er … pause [WHY DIDN’T I QUIT WHILE I WAS AHEAD?] … drop-off in demand and contraction that has taken place. …
I can’t take any more. Click on the link above for the Full Monty, as they say in Britain. Watching Obama’s actual non-teleprompter performances in light of the cultural myth that surrounds him is going to be an interesting sport for the next few years. The interesting part is not watching Obama stumble around. No. What will be fascinating to watch is how long (and earnenstly) Obamaphiles cling to the myth that their Great Leader is … well … great.
Bush, the Dunce, knows more about business, financial markets and the global economy than Obama will ever know. Because, frankly, Bush brought experience in those fields with him to the office (not only in his own business endeavors, but being brought up in a business climate since he was a child and earning an MBA from Harvard — the only president to have done so.) Obama is a community organizer and a politician — which makes him a perfect fit with the other statists of Europe.
Look, his teleprompter gaffes are fair game. Will Ferrell practically made a name for himself making fun of Bush’s word usements.
I still love “strategery.”
But the more important focus should be on the fact that he didn’t accomplish anything overseas except earn praise for himself. I hope it’s something that will pay dividends in the future, but given the reactions we’ve seen so far, I’m not confident.
His policy is lacking. Focusing on how his reliance upon the teleprompter is a sign of that feels as gratifying as Michael Moore hypothezing what Bush was thinking during the reading of My Pet Goat felt for the left. Maybe it’s a good indicator, and it’s something that can be pointed out, but it’s not as damning as his complete failure to get any meaningful concessions from other world leaders in the areas where we needed them. That’s the void that deserves the most attention.
The thing is that Obama is a “super-smart guy and peerless orator” compared with what we’ve had lately, including Clinton, and the general society. All you’ve done is point out that he’s not flawless. I think you’ll find that no leader or hero ever was. The important thing is that we’ve managed to pick a leader from waaaay out on the intelligent end of the bell curve rather from in the thick middle this time.
I personally can’t think of anyone who could do his job better than he can. And that’s about the finest compliment there is.
Mary and Jim,
I’m an ignorant, indifferent, shallow person and I should go get stuffed?
Wow. That’s just mean.
I was merely trying to state that I think he was handed a truly bad hand and is doing a decent job. A lot of folks are nitpicking every little thing and that just seems silly.
People who don’t care what others think of them seem to be the ignorant ones…
Going to get stuffed.
Saucey,
Are you saying there are instances when Obama has been off-prompter and did not fumble around like a 10th grader in his first debate class? I suppose there are such instances. Trouble is, it seems he fumbles more than not when off-prompter — and the Obamabots tell us he is this super-smart guy and a peerless orator. I’m merely pointing out that such attributions are not the truth.
I’m sorry to hear that you traveled abroad and were embarrassed by your country. The disgrace, however, is yours for being so shallow. I will still be proud of my country traveling abroad, even though I didn’t vote for the arrogant statist currently sitting in the White House.
Yes. Statist. A man who desires to institute policies in which the state gains more and more control over the lives of the people is a “statist.” A man who blithely decides to sack the CEO of a corporation is a statist.
Saucey, if you’ve been embarrassed to say you’re from the US, it’s because you’re insecure enough to feel that you need to be validated by those of an old world mindset. The same types who created and continue to seek to profit from slavery and oppression. Those who brought about the horrors of communism, nazi-ism and fascism, all of which sprang from Karl Marx’s diseased ideology. If that’s the case, you don’t believe in, or respect the US Constitution, or the rights and freedoms that it has guaranteed. You, like those you purport to disdain, don’t care if a leader is corrupt, a fraud and a liar, as long as you believe he’ll profit you. If that’s the case, the US, and it’s people find you an embarrassment. You’re the same sort of democrat, who was proud of his or her party when it was the party of slavery, of Jim Crow.
I don’t watch FOX news, but those of you on the left don’t have much to be proud of. The New York Times, The Nation and other pox ridden leftist publications reflect a bias that is not in aid of civil or human rights considerations. They turn my stomach. Just this past week, the Village Voice attempted to provide cover for those who used orphans in NYC, as lab rats to test AIDS drugs, that the FDA considered blackbox (deadly). All I can say to you is, get off your soapbox and get stuffed. You’re an ignorant, indifferent person who has no concept of what ethical standards are, what is required to preserve our democratic republic.
I know that you’ve appointed yourself the official pedestal-knocker-offer, but why don’t you add some instances where he didn’t have a teleprompter and was in teleprompter-like mode? …because there aren’t any? come on.
I think we are actually in need of a community organizer at the moment. Our community (USA) definitely needs some organizing.
I can’t wait until I travel abroad again and not be embarrassed to say I’m from the U.S.
Statist? Really? You do know there are news channels other than FOX, right?