Obama’s foreign policy advisors: the parade of the puerile Best and Brightest
First we have Ben Rhodes, fiction writer morphed into Obama’s deputy National Security Advisor while barely in his mid-thirties, with nary a bit of foreign policy experience under his belt except what he learned on the job. But he has a way with words, and that’s what we want, don’t we?
Next meet Tommy Vietor, the 33-year-old former press van driver and Tweeter extraordinaire who became spokesman for the National Security Council under Obama. He newly distinguished himself the other day for—well, I’ll let him tell it himself:
I don’t usually quote YouTube video comments, because they’re not known for their high level of discourse. But looking at some of them right now, they seem pretty spot on:
This condescending little prick works for us, the people of the United States.
Not being completely morally bankrupt, I think I’d remember the events surrounding everything I did in conjunction with the deaths of 4 human beings. There is no moral compass in this Administration. We shouldn’t think for a moment that we who are in opposition to this Administration can expect an ounce of sympathy and human decency from this bunch if and when the bottom falls out of this country. If this clown is an example of the ‘quality’ of human being this Administration seeks to represent them, we are all in trouble. Zero integrity. Zero empathy. Zero humanity. Zero respect. Zero conscience. Zero tolerance. Zero spiritual awareness. Zero moral values. Zero appreciation for the truth. Zero compassion. Shall I go on, Dude?
Yeah dude who remembers things from two years ago anyway?
How old were you two years ago? That’s like, ancient history man.
Say what you want about this kid but, you really should pay very close attention to him. He is a portrait of what this nation has become and the character of its future leadership.
Another comment at YouTube refers to a “White House full of frat boys.” Bingo. I would amend that to “frat boys with power.”
The Vieter interview encapsulates and personifies the fundamental unseriousness of so much of the crew surrounding Obama and hand-picked by the President. They are play-acting at adulthood and responsibility, with a vast storehouse of arrogant snark underneath (I could say the same thing about Obama, except I think he’s a lot more serious—a lot). Is there any behavior that would disgrace these people, other than a clandestine tape showing them using a racist or homophobic epithet? Or have they lost that notion along with the idea of dignity?
[ADDENDUM: In a post about Ben Rhodes from about a year ago, I wrote:
Obama prefers to be surrounded by politically astute sycophants who are in way over their heads and don’t realize it. That way he is less likely to be threatened or challenged.
So it occurs to me that maybe the simplest way to describe what happened in Benghazi is that, from start to finish, nearly everyone in charge and everyone who was a close and trusted advisor to those in charge was a political operative. Everyone. This of course includes Obama and Hillary Clinton, and all the supposed national security advisors such as Rhodes.
So they are a bunch of rank amateurs who literally have no idea what they were doing except in the political sense. And then when things went bad, they lied about it””using their words to try to get out of a jam, with the help of their friends in the MSM. It’s worked for them in the past, and might well work again.
But perhaps that was a little too kind.]
Yes, they were all chosen as political hacks first and foremost.
You could say that the only tool they have is political hackery. This explains how the Benghazi “nail” was dealt with.
The degradation of the next generation is more apt on the Democratic side than ours, though we aren’t completely immune.
Remember the goings-on of the Clinton White House? Reports of young staffers having sex (hetero- and otherwise) in the showers?
The Democratic party has become a clown car of incompetence, brought about by their own policies. This goes a long way toward explaining why most of the Democratic leadership is over 60 (Obama being an exception).
Another thing that irritates the crap out of me:
Leftists in general, and on campuses in particular, have been extreme about pushing sexuality on the younger generations. This is analogous to the welfare state in one respect: they are bribing the people with their own “stuff.”
Note to young people (but over 18): you don’t need the Democrats’ permission to have sex. They aren’t “giving” you anything by taking this position. So do what you’re gonna, but remember that it’s pretty hard to hook up if you don’t have your own apartment, which in turn will be impossible WITHOUT A JOB.
Sorry if that seems a bit off-topic.
Tommy Boy worked for Barry O for ten years.
And check out Tommy’s current Twitter feed. He’s proud to be a Valley girl.
He still doesn’t get.
I never understood why Val sent out the likes of Dan Pfeifer. Now I know why. He’s their best.
This is a defining moment in the historic term of our worst president.
Don’t forget State Dept. spokesman Jen Psaki who thinks she can carry out diplomacy via Twitter hashtags (see: http://legalinsurrection.com/2014/04/hashtag-peace-in-our-time/). She even said of the Russians: “”They have not been following up their hash tag with actions.” Lol wut?
The inmates are running the asylum.
When all you know is politics, all you do is politics. Not one of these people could change a car tire. They’d probably sprain a finger putting a quarter into a parking meter.
I think that summarizes the situation completely from the top down.
And then there’s Samantha Power, who looks more like a college professor (and thinks like one, too). She seems completely out of her depth here – just look at the amused sneers she’s getting in the background of this photo: http://tinyurl.com/o6qwl78. Also came out recently that she doesn’t fear any world leaders, tyrants or dictators, only Hillary Clinton.
dude they’re like, um, you know, all assholes in the white house.
Hey Dude, the Dubya administration ended over *five* years ago. Does this all mean you morons and SOBs should have stopped blaming Bush for everything *three* years ago?
Lizzy said…And then there’s Samantha Power
Ah, yes, Samantha Power. Who could forget her lavish praise for Jane Fonda at the 2013 Global Leadership Dinner:
“You know life has changed when you’re hanging out with Jane Fonda backstage. There is no greater embodiment of being outspoken on behalf of what you believe in – and being ‘all in’ in every way – than Jane Fonda. And it’s a huge honor just to even briefly have shared the stage with her.”
The dude needs a larger face or a smaller head, and a stinging slap in the face.
Matt_SE: “they were all chosen as political hacks first and foremost.”
Yes. This is the best explanation, backed by simple observation and insider statements about Obama’s foreign policy.
Their 1st consideration of an international problem is how it might calculate into the domestic GOP/Right vs Dems/Left partisan contest. The President and the Dems’ chief competitive focus is not on America’s competitors in the global arena, but always on the GOP/Right in the domestic arena.
M J R: “Does this all mean you morons and SOBs should have stopped blaming Bush for everything *three* years ago?”
No, because their priority is always on the GOP/Right. It’s not about truth, principle, or integrity. It’s always about the domestic partisan competition for them.
When I explain Bush’s Iraq policy, I explain it as the Clinton-Bush Iraq policy, because Bush’s decisions on Iraq, as well as, related, his anti-terror decisions after 9/11, were rooted in the policies on both issues inherited from the Clinton administration. Both related problems had matured over the course of the Clinton administration.
Point being, the Dems know that Bush’s Iraq and anti-terror decisions were justified because during the entire tenure of the Clinton administration, Democrat leaders were fixated on dealing with the escalation of those issues.
Bush didn’t innovate his Iraq and anti-terror policies. Rather, he extended and followed through on Clinton’s Iraq and anti-terror policies. Yet, knowing this, the Democrats in the best position to defend Bush’s decisions made the sociopathic choice to exploit for partisan gain Bush’s faithfulness to Clinton in his conduct of America’s most important foreign affairs after 9/11.
Lizzy: “then there’s Samantha Power”
Ambassador Power traded principle for partisan hackery when she declined to defend the Iraq enforcement and peace-building mission. She made her name with her liberal advocacy of what the US should have done in the Rwanda crisis and should do moving forward.
Everything Ambassador Power wanted was applied in the definitively liberal Iraq mission. Yet she opposed it, thereby helping to set the anti-liberal popular-political trend that’s advancing to the mainstream.
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Neo: “Obama prefers to be surrounded by politically astute sycophants who are in way over their heads and don’t realize it. That way he is less likely to be threatened or challenged….So they are a bunch of rank amateurs who literally have no idea what they were doing except in the political sense….But perhaps that was a little too kind.”
Yes, you were too kind.
President Obama didn’t hire his subordinates despite having “no idea what they were doing except in the political sense” but because of that. Their job description may say foreign affairs, but their real job is foreign affairs in terms of effect on the domestic partisan contest. Obama isn’t threatened or challenged less because they’re incompetent at IR than because their priorities and focus are the same.
If you recall these famous quotes from Obama, is this really a surprise:
“I think I could probably do every job on the campaign better than the people I’ll hire to do it,”
“I think I’m a better speechwriter than my speechwriters,”
“I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I’ll tell you right now that I’m gonna think I’m a better political director than my political director.”
It turns out he is probably correct. Instead of surrounding himself with experts to provide sage advice – he surrounds himself with these clowns. Of course, they will all go to work at Goldman Sachs and hedge funds due to their connections and really rake in the $$. They will, no doubt, believe that they earned it and deserve it. What a great country we have here.
I remember when Obama first tool office the MSM talked about how he like Lincoln, filling his cabinet w/a ‘team of rivals.’ More like a team of beer pong rivals.
I’m trying to think of something to say about Obama and his appointees. Words fail. Just steam coming out of my ears.
“First we have Ben Rhodes, fiction writer morphed into Obama’s deputy National Security Advisor while barely in his mid-thirties, with nary a bit of foreign policy experience under his belt except what he learned on the job. ”
Yeah, but one thing Ben Rhodes DOES have:
A brother who runs CBS news!
” Zero integrity. Zero empathy. Zero humanity. Zero respect. Zero conscience. Zero tolerance. Zero spiritual awareness. Zero moral values. Zero appreciation for the truth. Zero compassion. Shall I go on, Dude?”
If you may remember, within the blogosphere, one of the more popular monikers for Obama was “zerO”.
As the old saying goes, “First-rate people hire first-rate people. Second-rate people hire third-rate people.”
This means that a genuine leader will try to surround himself with the best subordinates he can find, while a poor leader is insecure and desperately afraid of being outshone by his underlings.
This is why I have always believed that Sarah Palin would make a good President. She has enough humility and confidence to pick advisors who would fill in gaps in her own knowledge.
I strongly suspect that the people here, with the exception of the Mitsus and Zzzs, could run a country better than the Hussein squad.
“Duuuuuuude, that was 2-years ago..!”
Will somebody with a decent set of cojones PLEASE make that vapid video the centerpiece of an anti-Hillary ad two years from now? As it plays, Duuuuudes, please have the picture dissolve to the Air Force hanger where the Benghazi bodies were unloaded in Washington DC and His Infantile Majesty, Hideous Hillary and VP Bite-Me were (cough) comforting and lying pathologically to the families and America.
But, hey, at least the wonderful, brilliant Condi Rice was forced out of her upcoming commencement address at Rutgers. Sneered at by twits, pygmies, midgets and jackels.
If Vietor is the elite I wonder what rock bottom looks like?
BTW how’s this for a Republican campaign commercial.
First they have O assuring people they can keep their doctor, then O saying there is not a smidgen of evidence of wrongdoing by the IRS, then cut to Lois Lerner taking the 5th and finally a snippet from Michelle’s 2008 speech yelling that Obama will require you to give up your cynicism.
The bottom 25% of humanity thinks they are the top 1% of humanity. Doesn’t work like that.
Barack Obama will require you to work. He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism. That you put down your divisions. That you come out of your isolation, that you move out of your comfort zones. That you push yourselves to be better. And that you engage. Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed.
If you don’t want to work at Obamacare rates for doctors… you will be made to work at those rates. If you don’t believe Hussein the new God, you will be made to come out of your isolation and remove your cynicism.
If you don’t like feminists trolling for equality by getting rid of the Ayn Hirsi and protecting Islamic FGM, you will be forced to move outside your comfort zone.
Slaves will never be allowed to live their lives as usual, uninvolved in social justice, uninformed of the great sacrifices needed for social justice.
That’s what I interpreted it to mean so many years ago. Now a days, it doesn’t seem like my interpretation was that far off.
The current regime is no different than any previous one. All that changes is on whom the gorgon stare is focused.
Bill J: I’m filing you in my daily “You CANNOT Possibly Make This S*** Up!!”
I’ve always been partial to this Heinlein quote, from his Lazarus Long stories:
I’ve thought for years that President Mom Jeans has never cooked a meal for his kids, from appetizer/salad/soup to main course with two veggie sides to desert; I’m not even sure Mooch has ever done that, either.
It always sticks in my craw how lefties talk about Owebama ‘winning’, about ‘TeaBaggers’ being racist, blah, blah, blah. They are specialists in political hackery. Yet you never ever hear them mention what’s best for the Country — at all. The Rule of Owebama versus The Rule of Law. Sad to say, I’m not certain we can ever unf*ck what Owebama and his henchmen and henchwomen have f*cked up in this Country.
This Clown Car Administration would fail Heinlein’s description of what makes a man. Sad thing for this Country is that such clowns are in charge, making policy that will be the ruination of this Country, both short and long term. But Owebama ‘won’, and that’s all that matters to them.
Photo of Tommy Vietor, shirtless, playing beer pong with other yutes in President Historic First’s Administration.
http://famousdc.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/beer-pong.jpg
/We are in the very best of hands.
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