Obama: nobody ever tells me anything
They say the president’s always the last to know.
Actually, they don’t say that. But Obama seems to be saying that—and he wants us to believe him.
Either way it’s an exceptionally weak response: it makes Obama look clueless, or we must assume he’s lying and actually did know. Of course, some of his worshipers will excuse him on the grounds that he is so serene and lofty and above-it-all that he doesn’t bother with the mud beneath, and so his ignorance of IRS audits and other nefarious matters would actually be the result of his virtues.
On the one hand, he’s the most brilliant man we’ve ever had for president. On the other hand, he’s ignorant of anything that happens around him.
Actually, there may be some truth to this. Mark Levin reads this clown’s schedule on air every day, and it is stunningly empty — he has his daily briefing near the crack of noon, then lunch, then goofs off the rest of the day. He’s either in top secret meetings which don’t appear on his schedule, or he’s one of the laziest people in America.
According to people that knew him in his younger days as a student and “professor”, he was very lazy. He even admits to this himself in his autobiography, which precedes the legislation he authored or any other actual accomplishment. Oh, wait, he didn’t author any legislation. scratch that.
According to what I’ve read, people close to him who want to remain anonymous say you can’t ever tell him he’s wrong about anything, no matter how trivial. So maybe nobody bothers telling him anything – assuming that he’s interested in the first place, and not tied up playing hoops or golf, or admiring himself in the mirror.
ISTR a story of Eisenhower sending someone to a SAC base to find out what was going on. The fellow he was sending thought that strange, surely the president and four star general would be informed as to what the airforce was up to. Eisenhower replied something along the lines:” they don’t tell me anything.” I think he was experienced enough to know what sort of things went on in big organizations.
I’ve regarded the Obama scandals as bureaucrats gone wild due to lack of oversight. Although Obama has set an unfortunate tone I don’t regard him as particularly well informed about anything.
The big lesson here is that the government *can* do such things. And if it can, eventually it will. The only cure is to sharply curtail government power. Accomplishing that will be a long fight and I feel no confidence that it will end in success.
Five years into his presidency and we still have the dueling descriptions of Obama: incompetent vs. knave. It’s pretty clear it is the latter, but I’m amazed he continues with his ‘pawn off responsibility onto a low level employee/I know nuthin’ routine. George Will had it right – how stupid does he think we are?
Obama has surrounded himself with people who’s job it is to protect him. He sends the message that he wants square circles, and then those who must administer the program gets their hints from Obama’s protecting crew. The higher one is in this crew, the more adept one is at not putting things in writing. This ensures that middle of the roaders are available to throw under the bus should something unpleasant happen.
I am looking forward to the books that will be published after Obama leaves the WH.
Obama’s hubris and incompetence are being revealed because Obamacare, the economy, and foreign affairs are a shambles.
But the scandals may have another element which have only lately reached full flower due to the saturation and control of information provided by the media. Kind of like air cover/air power. The “network” strategy which progressives, especially community organizer progressives, have utilized decentralizes decision making hence accountability. Low level worker drones pick up the message that criminal and tortious acts will be rewarded. Therefore, many heinous crimes will be completely outside the knowledge of Obama and his staff. But they are connected through ideology, training, and the protection afforded once the crime is committed.
Quintessentially in the dark, Obama, the first of his type in so many ways – black, mulatto, socialist, impish ponce — has added another first — the first ‘know nothing’ president.
The man is walking, talking plausible deniability itself. His legacy: ingenuous executive, campaigner, fundraiser, golfer, partier, traveler. His motto: semper sine cura.
At the time of Iran contra some one asked Reagan if he remembered details of a particular meeting. He replied that it was quite difficult since he typically had eighty (80!) meetings a day. Reagan of course was a dodering lazy imbecile who could barely read and write and slept on the job.
Without a doubt Hitler initiated the Shoah.
As one might cynically expect — he never let any paperwork touch him.
(Astoundingly, USA military intelligence found the written authorization — under Goering’s signature. When confronted with it — the Nazi flinched. He’d entirely forgotten his ‘proxy’ role for the dictator.)
Left to their own schemings, both Himmler and Goering immediately reversed Hitler — and tried to trade Shoah survivors for their own skins.
(That’s how and why my Uncle survived Dora.)
So, it was Hitler from first to last. Yet, nothing was ever put on the record — even though the despot proclaimed is intent to all and every from the radio box.
(He made a rare wartime speech in 1943 that ought to have removed all doubt that genocide was underway. STILL the Allies pretended it away.)
This is in the nature of executive driven big government. It runs on the star system — EVERY significant policy runs across the big man’s desk — or else!
However, his decisions are rendered orally — and with soft breath — to loyalists — chosen because they are loyalists.
One can’t help but knowing that the Wan has surrounded himself with sycophants. This is a ‘tell’ that you’ve got a despotic personality at the center of his web. They don’t roll any other way. The outward form of government is mere wall paper — hanging paper.
The real beast is blowing on the wind.
“The man is walking, talking plausible deniability itself.”
I can see Obama channeling Henry II:
“Will no one rid me of this meddlesome Tea Party?”
(It didn’t work too well for Henry either!)
Since The Won is not responsible, he should be completely in favor of a full and complete investigation and prosecution of the affair, including jail terms for those responsible. 🙂
So:
The Benghazi scandal
The IRS scandal
The AP scandal
Andrea Mitchell denouncing the latter two
More Benghazi whistleblowers
A St. Louis newsman admitting to being singled out by the IRS after a hard-hitting interview with Obama
The White House Pres Corps actually posing a few meaningful questions to Jay Carney
Could we be witnessing the beginning of a preference cascade? [Be still my heart!]
http://twitchy.com/2013/05/14/scandaldraft-ace-kicks-off-obama-scandalpalooza-twitter-league-with-inspired-picks/
If anyone needs a good laugh.
obama is lazy and clearly has no managerial or leadership skills, but he is dogged in the pursuit of his lefty goals. These are more important to him than anything else, even popularity. He has been consistent and clever in his appointment of loyal followers to high office. These have then filled their lower ranks with similar “sleepers”.
I see them here in my affluent CT suburb. While the business community is collapsing and leaving all around them we get an endless series of green initiatives, new urbanism, artsy programs, etc. This is what is important to them, to change things even if they have no mandate or authority to do so.
T,
Don’t forget Fast and Furious, Pigford, the list is endless…
If the AP scandal doesn’t make the press start doing its job, I’m not sure what will. Carl Bernstein seemed outraged about that one, finally. Now it’s personal!
If you don’t ask the questions, you will never get the answers.
It used to be axiomatic that a Leader was responsible for the actions of subordinates. There might be exceptions if subordinates deliberately hid their actions from the leader, but, generally, ignorance was no excuse. Neil Cavuto was talking to the Enron whistle blower today, and that reminds one that ignorance as an excuse did not work well for Kenneth Lay. Different standards for different folks. But, plausible deniability seems to be the motto of the times.
I once worked for a very rough Captain. His mode of operation was to pin subordinates to the wall and probe very deeply for weakness. If a problem existed, he usually found it. In a foolish moment, I asked him why he treated people like the way that he did, and he responded to the effect that no xxxxx was going to get him in a box. (Actually, I could speak candidly because I was also his non-volunatry golf partner. In addition I had already taken enough lumps to be impervious to further abuse.) I must say that he was effective, if unloved. The Un-Obama in style.
The AP story will be interesting. This could really present a dilemma for the press. I don’t put much value on Bernstein. He is a has-been or never was. Of course Woodward already left the reservation to an extent, and his pals turned on him.
I think the IRS thing could get big. People fear the IRS.
So the choices I’m seeing are he’s stupid, he’s incompetent, he’s not “in charge”, or he’s not paying attention to his responsibilities. None of those, zero, zip, zilch, nada, reflect anything good on him.
The man is a certifiable Villain. He is a vicious person who became President because he is black (and therefore all criticism can be deflected as so much racism) and can speak well. He is Chicago politics through and through and you can bet he knew everything in general and noting in particular so as to be able to deny everything and p[leas ignorance.
In 2009 he joked about putting the IRS on his political enemies.
His political enemies is everyone who does not support Liberalism and Big Government.
IRS “agents” are the very definition of Big Government. Their mission was to re-elect Obama and they helped the only way they could – by brutal intimidation and abuse of power against the “enemies of the state” known as decent Americans.
They did Obama’s bidding and I am absolutely certain he knew about it and just as certain he never had to say a word about it. It was part of an unofficial reporting he was getting and is probably still getting.
As Oldflyer says, people already fear the IRS — and the IRS is about to acquire huge new power over all of us as Obamacare takes effect.
BO is the anti-Truman. “The buck stops anyplace but here!”
It’s hard to know anything when you’re “leading from behind.”