Jennifer Rubin has a great article over at Commentary Magazine re. our President : "He's Just Not That Into Governing". It begins to explain a lot.
He’s not so much into legislation, that’s for Nancy and Harry and the gang over at the Pork Palace. But we knew that. His legislative experience consisted of voting “present” when be wasn’t busy campaigning for his next job.
As it turns out, Barack isn’t that much into the economy either. But I guess we knew that too: he has no experience in business, banking or economics. Although he does play an equities analyst on YouTube, and thinks the Dow Jones is like a political tracking poll. (I worry a bit that he thinks everything is like a political tracking poll.) If he can just get Timothy Geithner to play a Treasury Secretary we could be back in business.
Not that into diplomacy/protocol either. Apparently those skills were considered too bourgeois in Chicago’s community organizing circle. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife understood that the Prez had a busy day and was too tired for a press conference and state dinner, but the British press was quite annoyed (you know how the Brits are). They apparently thought the customary diplomatic gifts given to the Brown’s were thoughtless and tacky as well. But hey, who wouldn't want a gift set of the Obama's favorite movies? And after all, it’s the thought that counts. Well,ok they weren’t that thoughtful, but what the heck: he’ll get the hang of this diplomacy crap. How hard can it be? W did it.
Maybe foreign affairs is his thing? Nope, that’s Hillary’s forte. But her inaugural tour of the Middle East and Europe resulted in more gaffes than a “Joe Biden on steroids” tour. Although the capper had to be the Mickey Mouse prop and bad translation "gift" presented to the Russian foreign minister. The stupid red button was supposed to say “reset” in Russian, but instead said “overcharge”. We’ve all been overcharged for gross underperformance. And yes, I would like to “reset. ” To November, 2008. Can we get a do-over?
So, alright. Governing, per se, is not his thing. But we knew that too: he had no executive or leadership experience. So he can be forgiven for not knowing how to pull together a competent team. Or how to establish a manageable agenda. Or how to delegate without relinquishing responsibility. He’ll learn. And meanwhile we have that lovely,soaring rhetoric to lift our spirits. Except that lately all he’s been doing is bumming everyone out with talk of the great depression, and how everything’s going to get worse and worser. And if he’s not scaring us to death he’s insulting us by calling us “shameful” and “selfish”. I already miss W’s endearing malapropisms. At least he was cheerful about it.
In summary then: not so into governing, legislating, economics, diplomacy, protocol, foreign affairs or cheery rhetoric. So what does that leave the messiah to be “into”? It looks like summits (2 down, 1 scheduled), czars (6 and counting) and spending ($1 trillion , but who’s counting).
