Tuesday, January 6, 2009

WHEN A CHEAP SUIT STARTS TO UNRAVEL IT DOESN'T TAKE LONG FOR IT TO FALL APART.

In the last 40 years there have been three Presidents whom I felt from the very beginning, from the very moment the election returns were in and we knew they had been elected, were complete jokes as President of the United States.

The first was Nixon in 1968 and while I was still a teenager I knew enough of his background to come to the conclusion that this guy as President of the United States would be nothing but a bad joke. The second was George W Bush in 2000. It took Al Gore, along with Donna Brazile as his campaign manager, to conduct the most incompetent Presidential campaign in history to get Bush, who Ralph Nader called at the time " a know nothing one term govenor of a state where the legislature only meets twice a year", elected President. Third of course is Barack Obama who, even now, two months after the election, cannot take the podium as the President elect without me laughing out loud at what I can't help but view as a Saturday Night Live sketch somehow magically transformed into real life.

I can't watch Obama disembarking from a plane, introducing a cabinet pick, smiling for a photo op, or having a statement issued in his name by a spokesman without laughing or at least breaking into a smile just short of laughter. This is not mean spirited snickering. It's not derisive laughter. I'm not laughing through my tears. I'm really laughing at the sight of Barack Obama as President of the United States. I swear that just writing it makes me laugh. It hits me as that much of a joke.

The first two members of the Presidential Three Stooges completely lived down to my expectations. Nixon became the first President to resign from office over Watergate and what his own Attorney General called "The White House Horrors". The second member, George W Bush, has been the most disastrous President in history, presiding over and in fact causing and being ultimately responsible for, four of the biggest disasters in the country's history-- the 911 attacks which were the result of his and Condoleeza Rice's gross negligence and incompetence, the unnecessary Iraq invasion, the response to Katrina, and the worst economic meltdown since the Depression.

Now Barack Obama joins my group as the most under-qualified, intellectually dishonest, integrity challenged Professor Harold Hill of a candidate for President in history. While his political dishonesty equals Nixon's at this stage in Nixon' political life, no one ever said Nixon didn't have the experience of qualification to be President, only the lack of integrity.

Obama hasn't even been sworn in yet and he is caught up in two brewing scandals, one from the sewer of Illinois politics embodied by Blagojevich and Rezko, and now Bill Richardson, as seedy and two faced a politician as there is in the Democratic Party,and one of Obama's political henchmen during the Democratic primary, having to withdraw his name as Commerce Secretary because an FBI investigation is coming uncomfortably close to his conduct as Governor of New Mexico.

Watching Richardson slink away and Obama's ridiculous statement that Richardson's withdrawing was Richardson "putting the country first", should be seen as another shot across the bow and a warning to the Democratic Party that there is going to be a more trouble ahead.

You know the Democrats are aware of this when you see the photo ops of Obama and Nancy Pelosi, the most inept Speaker of the House in history, sitting together for the cameras with Pelosi wearing that stupid painted on smile, looking like a character actress who just lost the Academy Award and is trying to pretend it doesn't matter.

I recently commented that Obama's cabinet picks, with a couple of exceptions, were relatively sound and showed that he is more than willing to play the part of Prime Minister more than President, letting key cabinet picks make the policy he will announce as his own. This will most certainly be true of foreign policy, something Obama has already demonstrated he knows nothing about, with Hillary Clinton at State. It is a certainty that it will be her foreign policy that will be formulated and carried out, not Obama's since he doesn't have a foreign policy,and this will be especially true in the Middle East where Bill Clinton came closer than anyone to brokering a deal for a Palestinian State.

And his recent pick of Leon Panetta to head the CIA confirms now with a degree of 100% certainty what I had thought from the beginning regarding his cabinet picks -- that Obama will really be nothing more than a puppet with Democratic insiders pulling the strings, making and formulating policy with Obama announcing them.

If you lean towards the Democrats in terms of both foreign and domestic policy that isn't necessarily a bad thing. But the choice of Panetta to head the CIA is so unexpected, and so unconventional, there is no doubt it was pushed by someone Obama has decided to rely on for advice. It never could have been Obama's idea. Given that Panetta was Bill Clinton's chief of staff, that advisor wouldn't happen to be named Clinton would it?

As for Obama himself, the real question is going to be, will he be another Teflon President as Reagan was, or will mismanaged scandals, mistakes, and missteps stick? He will have a lot to deal with once he takes office and unlike his 12 years of prior public service in which he did nothing and accomplished nothing, he is going to have to do something this time, even if its just to put his signature where Clinton, Daschle or Pelosi tell him.

I have a bold prediction to make. Obama will be a one term President. And not because he gets defeated in the next election. If scandal and saying the wrong thing at the wrong time doesn't get him, or listening to the wrong person, or, heaven forbid, he decides to actually wield the power he has himself and screws up royally, I really believe that the realities of the office will cause Obama to say, at least privately that he doesn't want it anymore and enough is enough.

Obama never accomplished anything in 12 years of elected office so accomplishing something isn't why he wanted to be President. He wanted to be President out of sheer ambition, an ambition that has been achieved. Once he actually takes office and has to fulfill the duties of the President and realizes he is not going to be able to vote "present", or get out from under the glare of the spotlight shinning on his every move and every word, he is going to come to the realization that this isn't for him.And he will find a way to announce he is not going to run for re-election.

There are only so many times he will be able to make a speech telling us he is going to take a 21st century approach to a problem. There are only so many speeches he will be able to make telling us the economy is in bad shape and needs fixing. With the Middle East exploding he has already damaged his credibility with both sides when, during the primary, he declared in front of an audience of American Jews that he supported Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. When the Palestinians went berserk over his comment he backed off the next day and tried to pretend he never said it, uniting both the Israelis and the Palestinians in their disdain for him. If there is any success in the Middle East it wont be because of Obama but because of Clinton.

If scandal doesn't cause him to unravel, either his lack of ability or his own realization that he is in over his head, will.That doesn't mean the policies that will be carried out wont work. Everyone hopes they will. But those policies will not be his but those around him. But as soon as something doesn't work, as soon as something goes wrong ,finger pointing will start since Obama will not sit quietly and take the blame even though he will be willing to take the credit for what works.

With Richardson's withdrawal, the Blagojevich scandal and Senate appointment getting headlines before he even takes office, with the economy in recession and the Middle East exploding, and based on what is known about Obama's 12 years of anemic public service and his lack of demonstrable ability ( which I am perfectly willing to be proved wrong about) the unraveling we are seeing now may get worse. And if it does, for the second time in a row we will have standing before the media and the country an emperor with no clothes, this time a Democratic one.

27 comments:

Eleanor A said...

(applause)

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately, Obama doesn't seem like the type of guy who would give up the opportunity of running for re-election. As long as the Democratic Party has his back and he can raise enough money to buy the presidency again, he'll do it. Just because Bush's first 4 years were failures didn't stop him from running again and declaring a mandate. I expect the same from Obama.

Pamela of the Poconos said...

(more applause)
IMO, Obama has a dominant feline tendancy. When cats reach a higher level or 'perch', they typically look for the next perch they believe they can reach. Call it A.D.D., call it opportunism, or whatever. Obama has it. BTW, this week marks an anniversary for him. Four years ago this week he was sworn in as a United States Senator. What he did there supports the theory I stated above. LOL.

Anonymous said...

Bravo, as usual.

I have been trying very hard to listen to Obama speak because I don't feel right criticizing him on deaf ears- however- I am physically unable to listen to him for longer than a minute or two- thankfully I have only heard sound bites.

His speeches don't seem quite so shined anymore- I suppose Favreau (I assume he is writing for him now?) is too busy groping Hillary Clinton cut-out dolls to spiffy up Obama's sound bites?

All I can say Marc is from your mouth to God's ear on the one term presidency. I am done making predictions- I never thought a nation would vote for such an inexperienced person in my life.

And now w/ Panetta as head of the CIA???

Does experience count for nothing anymore?

OK, OK, I am rambling-

please keep up the posts- this is one of my favorite spots!

Anonymous said...

Whenever I hear BO speak, I give "the finger" to the TV. I can't help it -- it is an automatic gesture. I cannot print here what I say at the same time. Please, Supreme Court, get this person out of office so we NEVER have to hear or see him again!

Anonymous said...

I mute my TV every time he speaks or I change the channel.

Anonymous said...

Is anyone but me bothered by the Obama's, Michelle and pres-elect, chronically putting their hands in their pockets? I was taught that this is a sign of disrepect. It's non verbal communication that tells the observer, I don't agree, stay away, I cannot be reached.

Michelle is kissing her girls good bye on thier first day of school with her hands in her coat pockets? Obama gets off a plane with his hands in his pocket.
Please!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Maybe they have cold hands.

Anonymous said...

We have yet to see the REAL Barack Obama and find out what his hidden agendas are. Also Michelle is being unusually quiet, but I await some major changes in the "White House". Would not be surprised if they decided to spray paint it green.

I agree, Obama constantly looks like he stepped out of a photo-op or a set-up for a commercial for GQ wearing a clean crisp white shirt and smiling like he owns the world. I guess he feels he has now "arrived".

Still cannot listen to anything he says, nor do I want to. I cannot look at him without reminding myself of how he ran the most corrupt, dirty, fraudulent campaign in U.S. history. When he pretends to be outraged over Blagojevich and the corruption in Illinois, that is laughable, since he was raised as a politician in that kind of swamp, and that is where he learned all the dirty tricks that brought him to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Reid and Pelosi are such hypocrites. They cry about Blago trying to buy the Senate seat, and yet it is only a few short months ago they bought the presidency for Mr. O. (I still wonder who bought and paid for Obama's senate seat in Illinois in 2006 but that remains a mystery at this time).

Richardson steps down but what about Obama? As long as the media is willing to continue covering up for and protecting him, the scandals that are in his closet will remain intact there. For now.

Anonymous said...

I saw a VERY SMALL blurb in my local paper this morning that David Rubin, AKA "businessman" in New Mexico- contributor to Richardson...also was a contributor to Obama.
I can't find any more on it right now- but looks like he max'd on his contributions to Obie.
I did watch him this morning, talking about his economic stimulus package- didn't hear one new piece of info.
I think he is secretly you-know-whatting in his pants because he knows how in over his head he is. Forget domestically- he doesn't have a clue but he doesn't know what the bleep to do in the Middle East either.
And Reid and Pelosi- nothing more to say...

Anonymous said...

Nola said...
Maybe they have cold hands.

Love it! Cold-blooded! Couldn't stand to listen or watch them then, and still not now. Mute the TV and switch a channel when BO and his gang comes on.

Anonymous said...

Tom, as always you took the words straight from my thoughts and expressed them so very eloquently. Never have I been more ashamed to be an American. Never have I been so disgusted with the corruption in our voting process, and never was I more surprised to discover that I could find ANYONE worse than either Nixon or W. Miracles abound, more's the pity.

I agree that B.Soetoro Obama won't make it through his first term. With nothing known about him save his incredibly long list of long time connections with the most nefarious of incifiduals, it is true that, like all cheap suits, the unravel time will be exponential.

One can only work hard to expose the truth and pray for justice sooner rather than later.

Anonymous said...

oh yes, and I join Eleanor in (applause)!

Anonymous said...

This is the absolute best article. I cannot believe how perfectly in sync this with what I have felt about an Obama presidency. Obama has given me the sense that he loves the idea of being President but doesn't really want the job. I cannot help but think the job is so beyond him and he does not have a shadow VP to prop him up the way Bush did. I can't help but think too that this will all "unravel" eventually because - intelligent as Obama may be, he never seems like he enjoys politics. He just enjoys the celebrity it all brings.

Anonymous said...

You underestimate the old adage that "power corrupts". Few individuals in history have voluntarily given up power, Prince Charles of England being the only one in as far as I know. So, I don't believe your prediction will hold true of O as a one-term president, although one can only hope. No other president in U.S. history (save maybe JFK) has been as romanticized and celebrated by the media (including the entertainment media) as O. I believe America wants the african american version of Camelot. He may be a puppet president, but he'll be loving the attention and perks too much to give it up. Let's just pray that his chosen ones can ably run the country--nay the world--at this critical juncture in our world.

Anonymous said...

It is a though you read my mind. I too had a sick feeling in my stomach when Nixon was elected and said to my freshmen in college friends that he was bad news for the country.

However I will add Reagan to your list because I thought he was a disaster as well. He represents the beginning of the end for American hegemony because he presided over the biggest expansion of the deficit and made it acceptable and even praiseworthy to live beyond our means. It is the expansion of our debt burden that squeezed out any good the government could hope to do and vastly expanded the financial system.

Obama is Bush in democrats clothing. He is just as unqualified as Bush was to run this country and even if some his advisors are wise (ie Hillary at state) it will not help him as it did not help Bush to have experienced people in his administration. If leadership isn't one of your qualities it cannot be learned.

I hope and pray that you are correct and Obama is "forced" to be a one term president. I couldn't agree more with your assessment that he has done nothing in his 12 years in office. He is all about what is the next one I can run for? I wish I could create a King of the world position just to ensure that he would start running for that and leave the running of the country to those more qualified.

Watch out though for social security and medicare. It was said it took a democratic president to reform welfare and I suspect the republicans are going to have their biggest dreams come true as Obama prepares to dismantle those programs. And no one will be prepared to stop him.

SUFFERING FROM POST PARTISAN DEPRESSION.

Unknown said...

Brilliant commentary, Mr. Rubin. These are the same thoughts that pound in my head daily, as I also hold back guffaws and gags when I see him playing president on TV. Isn't that what it really is? A starring role? He just has to memorize his lines--oh,wait. That's what the teleprompter is for.
What has our country done to itself? Again?

Anonymous said...

Bravo!

I can't watch him either. Damn, after 8 years of hitting the mute button every time our POTUS comes on teevee would have been enough.

Economic plan? Feh.

Gawd, even John Kerry (uber Obama tool) doesn't like it.

To think about what could have been makes me sick to my stomach.

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Unknown said...

"It will ride up with wear" - as the fine salesmen in "Are You Being Served?" always told their customers.

josie said...

Great article- God I hope it comes true - it makes perfect sense. A much more uplifting post than the last one, but I respect everything you write. I wait eagerly until you post your next article - quality not quantity- my kind of guy!
I have worked with a few people who have been way over their heads, and they have all resigned sooner or later due to: family reasons, or a(brought-forward) pregnancy or the overwhelming need to go backpacking around Thailand. My guess is he will leave the WH for the sake of his family or some other noble cause.
Bring on President Clinton and Middle East Peace!

josie said...

...or decide to re-train as a teacher (I can joke about that as that's what I did!)

Anonymous said...

Has it been a month yet?

NYSmike said...

From your lips to God's ears!

Tho I believe BO started running for re-election on November 5, 2008. With him, it's all about the title anyway as seen throughout his life, and of course 2 autobiographies by the age of 45.
Go figure!

navyvet48 said...

I'm still ripping covers off anything with The O's picture on it. I can't stand his facade or that wife who they are calling an economic stimulus package for designers. Sorry to say she doesn't look athletic, she is actually bowlegged and ding toed. And I never listen to his words because The O never says anything woth listening to. As for Panetta....he is at the CIA, not to fix but to rend it beyond useable possibly causing a disaster we can't afford.

I do thank you for the post and pray everyday that the O has to change his pants at least three times a day because he is over his head....he must be peeing his pants about now!

Anonymous said...

The election of Barak Hussain Obama gives hope to every incompetitant and unaccomplished person in America (here legally or not)that they can rise in our society that no longer commands ability or experience. What has he ever done for those who elected him to the Senate? It's the "Peter Principle" at it's most apparent. You know, "everyone rises to the level of their incompetitance".

No, I don't wish him failure and hurt to America because of it. I am not like the Democrats who hate George W. Bush and wish that we suffer another attack so that we can blame Bush.

So, I guess it's high time we dropped the racist "Affirmative Action" outrage unless we must wait for the lynchings of WHITE peeople to start so that blacks feel compensated for their sufferings.

Anonymous said...

Marc, as always...BRAVO!

Although, I must admit...for my part, there are tears beneath that laughter. Tears for our country and its shredded Constitution, tears for the loss of our vote and the prostitution of our once proud election process that led to this obscenity.

Keep up the good work as always--we couldn't survive this without you!