Is President Obama too "cool?"

Status
Not open for further replies.
Reba

Reba

Retired Terp
Premium Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2004
Messages
54,899
Reaction score
1,518
Bloodless President Barack Obama makes Americans wistful for George W Bush
Barack Obama's reaction to bad news is to play it so cool that Americans yearn for a bit more drama - and some even for his predecessor, writes Toby Harnden in Washington.

Toby Harnden's American Way
Published: 5:57PM GMT 07 Nov 2009

During the election campaign, Barack Obama's cool detachment was a winning quality, the "No Drama Obama" a welcome contrast with the "Mr Angry" John McCain, never mind the hot-headed "I'm the decider" President George W Bush.

A year into his presidency, however, Mr Obama seems a curiously bloodless president. If he experiences passion, he seldom shows it. It is often anyone's guess as to whether an event or issue truly moves him.

He has spent more than two months considering a troop increase but do we know how he really feels about the Afghan war?

In a sign that the Obama honeymoon truly is over, I began to hear this week the first stirrings of a wistfulness about Mr Bush. "I never thought I'd hear myself say it," one Democrat told me. "But Obama makes you feel that at least with Bush you knew where he was on something."

When Mr Bush's Republicans were defeated in the 2006 mid-term elections, it was the President himself who stepped up and declared that his party had received "a thumpin'". The Democratic defeats on Tuesday were not on anything like the same scale but Mr Obama acted as if nothing at all had happened.

Mr Obama had campaigned for Jon Corzine, New Jersey's Democratic governor, five times, twice just last Sunday. But when Mr Corzine lost by four points in a state Mr Obama won by 15 last year - a 19-point swing to Republicans - White House aides just shrugged.

In Virginia, which Mr Obama won by six points last year, prompting Democrats to declare an historic political realignment in the state, the Democratic candidate went down by 17 points in the biggest landslide since 1961 - a 23-point swing to the Grand Old Party.

It took Senator Mark Warner of Virginia to admit that his party "got walloped". For three days, Mr Obama maintained a studied silence about the results while his aides blamed them on local factors that had nothing to do with the President. And to think that it was Mr Bush who was always accused of being "in denial".

More serious perhaps was Mr Obama's strange disconnectedness over the Fort Hood massacre of 13 soldiers by an Army major and devout Muslim who opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, had praised suicide bombing and shouted "Allahu Akbar" as he opened fire.

Maybe Mr Obama had been reading the American press, much of which somehow contrived to present the atrocity as a result of combat stress due to soldiers going on repeated war deployments (though Major Nadal Hasan had not been on any) and therefore, no doubt, Mr Bush's fault.

When the television networks cut to the President, viewers listened to him spend more than two surreal minutes talking to a gathering of Native Americans about their "extraordinary" and "extremely productive" conference, pausing to give a cheery "shout out" to a man named Dr Joe Medicine Crow. Only then did he briefly and mechanically address what had happened in Texas.

On Friday, when most of the basic facts were available, Mr Obama tried again. It was scarcely any better. He began by offering "an update on the tragedy that took place" - as if it was an earthquake and not a terrorist attack from an enemy within - and ended with a promise for more "updates in the coming days and weeks".

Completely missing was the eloquence that Mr Obama employs when talking about himself. Absent too was any sense that the President empathised with the families and comrades of those murdered.

It was a reminder that for the past 16 years Americans have had two Presidents who would often extemporise and express emotion. President Bill Clinton could certainly "feel your pain" while Mr Bush sometimes struggled to hold back tears. Mr Obama is more like President George Bush Snr, who famously communicated his concern for people by blurting out: "Message - I care."

The White House argues that Mr Obama was not on the ballot last week and there is therefore no need to fret. The problem with this complacency is that voters were angry about the state of the economy, which Mr Obama can't keep blaming on his predecessor. With unemployment now above 10 per cent, Mr Obama needs to show Americans that he can relate to what they're going through, and take responsibility.

It could do him good to show he has a bit of fire in his belly. Perhaps he might make a decision or two based on gut instinct and deep conviction. In other words, maybe he should try being a bit more like Mr Bush.
Click to expand...
Bloodless President Barack Obama makes Americans wistful for George W Bush - Telegraph
 
cool.jpg


*It's pix of Obama smiling, wearing sunglasses, pointing at you. His tie was flying around due to wind, I suppose
 
Last edited:
obama-shark-oops-too-cool.jpg


*it's same pix as previous but it's photoshopped to hollywood style. It's pix of him on skateboard, waving nunchuka. background of him is the city - a police car crashing into helicopter and also there is a shark popping out.
 
Last edited:
cool-obama.jpg


*it's a pix of Obama looking all cool and serious with his sunglasses on. He's coming out of Presidential limo with Secret Service next to him by the car door. He's carrying his long coat. The caption below - "Barack Obama. Because John McCain never could look this damned cool"
 
Last edited:
What are all the photos of, Jiro? :ty:
 
Obama is cool guy, that all I say so.
 
Questions:

Has Obama visited the injured soldiers yet?

Has Obama called the Army families yet?

How many times has he mentioned Fort Hood compared to the times he's mentioned his health plan since Thursday?

Who is the highest ranking official from the Obama administration who has made a personal visit to the hospital to visit the wounded?
 
The White House threw a Halloween party for members of the armed services and their families. That's more than the previous administration did. Bush was a pickin' and a grinnin' while New Orleans was destroyed.
 
sallylou said:
The White House threw a Halloween party for members of the armed services and their families. That's more than the previous administration did. Bush was a pickin' and a grinnin' while New Orleans was destroyed.
Click to expand...
Wow, the Obama family didn't even need to leave home for that--what a sacrifice. A Halloween party--yeah, that's equivalent. Give me a break.

What does that have to do with excusing the Commander in Chief from visiting his wounded troops?

You are really scraping the bottom of the barrel in trying to come up with a good one. :lol:
 
Oh, I don't know, maybe health care, Afghanistan policy, the economy and all of the other crises are keeping him busy, He postponed his trip to Asia so that he can be at Fort Hood on Veterans day. What's the hurry? China only owns our @$$.

Are you taking up Kokonut's previous role?
 
sallylou said:
Oh, I don't know, maybe health care, Afghanistan policy, the economy and all of the other crises are keeping him busy, He postponed his trip to Asia so that he can be at Fort Hood on Veterans day. What's the hurry? China only owns our @$$.
Click to expand...
In other words, the Fort Hood soldiers are a low priority. I get it.

The "crises" of health care, Afghanistan, and the economy didn't just happen Thursday. That is such a crock.

Well, since you mentioned Afghanistan as a crisis, are we to assume the President finally made a decision about sending in the additional troops? I mean, since he didn't go to Fort Hood, he had the time to make his decision, right?

The China situation didn't happen overnight, and it isn't going to be solved overnight.

Are you taking up Kokonut's previous role?
Click to expand...
As a matter of fact, no. Why do you feel it necessary to mention him? Is your defense that weak?

You know, Kokonut isn't the only person who is bothered by Obama's actions (and inactions). I'm especially sensitive to issues that involve my brothers and sisters in arms.
 
That was pretty low, Sallylou, coming from you.
 
Wow. Why would anyone accuse Reba of taking up another member's role?

She may be a traditional conservative, but I do respect her rationale since she seldom makes claims and actually back up her sources.

In this case, I am inclined to agree with her. The other issues are already worked on by the White House administration. They don't need Obama to solve all of the other problems.After all, the President is really... pretty much a figurehead in the grand scheme of things, so he should be able to have the time to visit the victims of Fort Hood.
 
She has taken up Obama bashing. I have issues with the Obama administration, too, and I've written about them on this forum. That said, I don't go out of my way to complain about the President.
 
sallylou said:
She has taken up Obama bashing. I have issues with the Obama administration, too, and I've written about them on this forum. That said, I don't go out of my way to complain about the President.
Click to expand...

I did same for Bush. I bashed him pretty bad.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top