Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Pundits Are A Sorry Lot These Days

Like Bill Clinton before him, Barack Obama seems to be blessed with critics who want to make him look good in comparison to themselves. Via Glenn Greenwald, here's a snippet from the Washington Post:

President Obama wants us all to know he’s taking seriously the attempted terrorist attack of Christmas Day and that his administration is doing all it can to ensure our safety. But his words would be a lot more convincing if not delivered during time snatched between rounds of golf, swimming and sunbathing.

The president of the United States is never really on vacation. The responsibilities of the nation's highest office can’t be shed and, as the world’s most powerful leader, Obama can surely summon whatever resources he needs no matter his location. Nonetheless, there’s something unsettling about the president not wanting to interrupt his plans to deal with what appears to be the most serious threat to the nation’s safety since 9/11.

Why is Obama still in Hawaii?

Yes, this person writes an opinion column for a major national newspaper. Is it any wonder they're in decline?. Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Yes, this individual has apparently forgotten that since 9/11 we've had several major hurricanes hit the coast, the odd airplane crash for reasons not having to do with terrorism, and a few train crashes. Not to mention that there are 20,000 to 45,000 of us dying prematurely each year due to lack of medical care, and tens of thousands who are murdered or die in auto accidents. All of these things have killed as many or more people as would have died if the underwear bomber had managed to set off his bomb.

The nation seems to have weathered these storms.

And unless I've been even more out of touch with things than I think I've been, there hasn't been a rash of airliner hijackings. What can Obama not do in Hawaii that he would be doing about this in DC?

When we're sitting on the precipice of economic disaster, this WaPo clown is worried by nothing more than the idea that there might be another fool somewhere who wants to immolate himself inside an airliner. When I read things like that I really have to wonder if there's anyone left in the Fourth Estate who has a sense of perspective.

Speaking of frothing idiots in the news business, apparently Barack Obama is more popular among Republicans than at least one of them:

A USA Today/Gallup poll finds that President Barack Obama is the country's most admired man, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the most admired woman.

Among Republicans, Obama came in second to George W. Bush, but still beat out Glenn Beck in the poll.

Poll: Obama The Most Admired Figure -- And GOPers Still Prefer Him To Glenn Beck

There may be hope for us yet. I'm not an admirer of any of these people, but at least Obama can hold a thought in his head long enough to express it. He also seems to be a bit less eager to shoot first and ask questions later when dealing with foreign governments. He doesn't seem to have a desire to pee in his drawers when a new security problem presents itself. Instead, he seems to favor examining what happened and then deciding what to do. That puts him head and shoulders above Bush and Beck, not to mention most WaPo columnists.

What's more, when the folks who probably would vote against Obama can tell he has more on the ball than one of their most prominent pundits, that could be taken as a sign there's a clear lack of credibility among the latter.

I certainly do.


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