Just When We Thought American Politics Could Not Get Worse, President Obama Incomprehensibly Displays Hypocrisy, Indefensible Partisanship, and a Limp Backbone — All in One Trivial, but Telling, Incident

© 2011 Peter Free

 

01 September 2011

 

 

With leaders like these, we may as well join mythical lemmings in running off cliffs

 

Premise:

 

Sensible leaders don’t pick fights that they (a) can’t get points for winning or (b) look noble during a losing struggle.

 

Ineffectual leaders do the reverse.

 

Yesterday, President Obama confirmed that he is both hypocritically ineffectual and leadership-lame, all in one go.

 

Here’s how the President’s “microcosm of failed leadership” moment progressed:

 

First, apparently finally recognizing that Americans want jobs — after more than two years of letting the nation’s deteriorating economic situation percolate through his allegedly capable mind — President Obama decides to feign interest in employment production.

 

Second, our illustrious “Bipartisanship Pretender” (the President) asks Mr. Boehner to invite him to speak before Congress, where the Administration will predictably attempt to shame the House of Representatives’ Republican Party majority for its consistently boneheaded demonstrations of nation-damaging partisanship.

 

Third, the President’s proposed speech date just happens to fall at the same time as that already scheduled for the Republican Party presidential candidates’ debate.

 

Imagine the Administration’s surprise, when Speaker Boehner suggests/proposes/demands that the following day is more workable.

 

 

Analysis — the extraordinary stupidity of the Administration’s transparently bad faith-ed ploy

 

Really, Mr. President?

 

After years of calling for bipartisanship, you transparently stoop to trying to squelch your 2012 adversaries’ presidential debate — so as to hog the spotlight for yourself?

 

You didn’t think the public was going to notice this ostentatious bit of hypocritical bad faith?

 

And further, that you carelessly exposed yourself to probably winning blowback from Republicans for your Administration’s foolish behavior in this trivial matter?

 

Can the Executive get any dumber than this?

 

Yes.

 

The President’s failure to punch back effectively — in a situation he started — slops this incident convincingly into the “Theater of the Tactically and Strategically Absurd.”

 

 

The moral? — Shakespeare could not have imagined a more telling demonstration of professional (and probably personal) character flaw(s) than this one

 

I’m often surprised by ostensibly powerful people’s ability to wound themselves unnecessarily.

 

It must have something to do with self-importance gone awry.

 

A dishonor of soul, so to speak.