Barack Obama in crisis: Zzzz
Photo source: Yahoo! News/Reuters
My column today examines the diffident demeanor of our commander-in-chief in crisis. To his oil spill and Christmas Day bomber press events, I should also add his bizarrely detached initial remarks about the Fort Hood jihadi attack — which he treated as an afterthought. Remember? Once is an oddity. Twice is a coincidence. Three times is a condition.
***
Barack Obama in crisis: Zzzz
by Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 2010
President Bush’s harshest critics often described his look during moments of crisis as “deer in the headlights.” After two years of Hope and Change, America has grown accustomed to President Obama’s crisis face: eyes glazed over.
At his first press conference in 308 days, Obama fielded questions about the Gulf oil spill, immigration, the war in Afghanistan and the mounting outrage over Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Joe Sestak’s job-trading allegations with a sluggishness bordering on geriatric. His aplomb was a bomb.
The commander-in-chief’s mumbling, diffident tone contradicted the “I CARE” message of urgency that drifted across the teleprompter screen and rolled languidly off his tongue.
“I am angry and frustrated,” he heaved. Rather unconvincingly. He was “singularly focused,” he asserted. Rather distractedly. The president did manage to work up enough energy to condemn BP and then turned to a moment of obligatory self-aggrandizement: “I’m confident that people are going to look back and say that this administration was on top of what was an unprecedented crisis.”
How “on top” was he? Well, not enough to take the time on Thursday morning before his much-hyped appearance to nail down the details of how and why his Interior Department Chief of the Minerals Management Service Liz Birnbaum was no longer in office. “You’re assuming it was a firing,” Obama told reporters. “I don’t yet know the circumstances.” He explained that he was preoccupied with other matters and couldn’t get ahold of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
When pressed to elaborate, he heaved again: “I don’t know.”
Then, addressing all the ignorant Americans who have failed to appreciate his rescue efforts, Obama mustered up a semblance of indignation: “Those who think we were either slow in our response or lacked urgency don’t know the facts. This has been our highest priority since this crisis occurred.”
And this is the Obama definition of accountability: blaming everyone else for lacking the Ivy League-honed comprehension skills to see the greatness of his fortitude and foresight.
How high of a priority did his administration really make the post-spill cleanup? After droning on haltingly about the federal failure to form an “oil…tracking…flow…group,” Obama admitted with a shrug: “There was a lag of several weeks that shouldn’t have happened.”
With more self-pity than compassion, Obama wrapped up the rare press conference with a disjointed, off-script ramble:
“But look, we’ve gone through a difficult year and a half. This is just one more bit of difficulty. And this is going to be hard, not just right now; it’s going to be hard for months to come. …
“You know, when I woke up this morning, and I’m shaving, and Malia knocks on my bathroom door, and she peeks in her head, and she says, ‘Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy?’ — (soft laughter) — because I think everybody understands that, you know, when we are fouling the Earth like this, it has concrete implications not just for this generation but for future generations. …
“And in case anybody wonders — in any of your reporting, in case you’re wondering who’s responsible, I take responsibility. It is my job to make sure that everything is done to shut this down.
“That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. It doesn’t mean it’s going to happen right away or the way I’d like it to happen. It doesn’t mean that we’re not going to make mistakes. But there shouldn’t be any confusion here. The federal government is fully engaged, and I’m fully engaged, all right?”
Not waiting for an answer (or for any more nettlesome questions), he hurried off for a quick photo-op pit stop in the Gulf on Friday before jetting to Chicago to keep a high-priority promise to be back in his hometown for Memorial Day weekend.
The sterile performance was eerily reminiscent of his national security announcement last December from Hawaii, when he appeared before the American people in tie-less informal island wear to read a bloodless, perfunctory statement about the Christmas Day bomber. Eyes down on his notes the whole time, he described the failed attack with the weariness of a small-town sheriff’s deputy, rather than as the leader of the free world. Then it was back to the beach. This is Obama in crisis: disengaged, put upon and impatient to get back to Me Time.
Rough men stand ready to keep and defend our well-being and safety. Someone wake President Obama when it’s over.
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Mr. President Zzzz on the job all you want; don’t do something, just stand there. This is a job for adults so go play golf and basketball and leave the work to those who know how to do it. Get your EPA and Secretary of the Interior out of the way and let the professionals handle it.
Thank you.
“I asked my daughter Amy…”
But…But…It took Bush three minutes to leave the classroom on 9/11.
Fearless Leader is clueless, completely out of his depth – if there is such a thing – petulant and shallow. As you watch this individual you can see the haunt and fear in his eyes as well. He is being boxed in tighter and tighter and, sooner rather than later, everyone will see what this individual is about.
Reality is a great way for children to grow up. Our man-child president thought being POTUS was going to so much fun. He’s learning now that it’s a job for a grown up.
We nurses call that “medicated”. I’m sure the street words for it are more fun.
This said — i am watching the other hand as everyone is focused on the Gulf — what new surprises are in store, time will tell.
He’s just waiting for someone who actually knows what they’re doing to solve the problem so he can claim credit for it.
Trouble is, that oil spill too so long to solve that his “strategy” backfired.
What ever “help” he had in college send him more.
Nurse huh? Sign on my butt while in the Hospital:
Another weak end shot to hell
I have a feeling this ‘crisis’ is going to give those in dc the go ahead for C&T asap! The fact this bho has banned ALL off shore drilling is a good indication, IMO.
I am hoping that we might not have to see this bho on the tube while they are vacation. I am sick to death of seeing this bho every single day!
L
Target practice!
Erkel needs a nap.
(munching popcorn) More cheese Gromit!
And his binky?
How about dazed and bewildered. Not since Jimmeh Peanut have we seen a president so utterly confused and clueless about the task before him. True character is revealed in time of crisis. Solid B+.
Where was the photo op done? I would love to see a photo of dear leader with raw crude washing up a pristene white sand beach in the background. I got yer hope&change right here.
Embarrassing. The only silver lining in these times is that the Marxist Democrat party will flounder for years after his departure from office. Eighteen months of unbridled socialism has convinced most Americans that this is a dumb nineteenth century idea that needs to be retired once and for all.
Rogue: HAHAHA. Did you see my comment a few days ago about Wallace’s favorite cheese – Wensleydale? That is some pricey cheese, but good. El Presidente would love it at his next cocktail party.
He reminds me of 1st Lt Norman Dike from Band of Brothers. Sleepy and constantly missing from the action. When is Speirs going to relieve him of duty?
Bong, doobie, binky? The only thing worse than a stoned leftist is a sober leftist.
“Did you plug the hole yet daddy?” “yes dear with caviar and quail eggs”.
couldn’t have put it better myself, Michelle. You READ him.
Memo to campaign: New theme song to replace “Happy Days Are Here Again!”
I’m tired,
tired of being admired,
tired of love uninspired,
let’s face it,
I’m tired!
I’m tired,
tired of playing the game,
ain’t it a crying shame?
I’m so tired,
God dammit I’m tired!
I am not sure what WE did to foul the Earth like this? It was a terrible accident, perhaps due to negligence, and definitely allowed by lax oversight. WE don’t need Obama to SOLVE this, but to act like our country’s leader and OVERSEE the effort.
Great column, Ms. Michelle!
I hope there is fear in his eyes, there should be. What I remember from seeing Obama, even back during the 2008 campaign, was a look of pure evil in his eyes.
Another bullseye for Michelle.
Do not forget that while Obama is preoccupied with his popularity slide here at home, and these various domestic crises like Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh daring to counter the narrative he wants us all to believe, there are things afoot in the world that do not bode well for our country, particularly with this man as Commander in Chief.
Take for example, the impending crisis in Asia. Kim Jong Il has sunk a South Korean warship, killing 46 ROK sailors.
The ROK has responded angrily, and the Norks are responding even angrier, denying responsibility and threatening total war. This could easily spiral into a violent military clash that this nation is obligated to participate in.
How would Obama handle a North Korean artillery barrage on Seoul, combined with SpecOps strikes in the South and Naval combat at sea?
What will the Chinese decide to do, and how will Hillary play into this scenario?
There is also the question of Japan.
Kim and his regime hate the Japanese as much as they hate us, and I could see that regime in a desperate death spiral doing something like Saddam did when he fired SCUD missiles at Israel in a bid to widen the conflict and split the coalition between NATO and the Arab allies.
How would our government be ordered to handle a situation like that?
It is rather frightening to contemplate what the economic consequences would be of an all out Korean War today, with the Yellow Sea and Western Pacific suddenly unsafe for container ship traffic, and the capitol of South Korea looking like Berlin circa 1945.
Add to that the possibility that Iran would sense an opportunity to hurt the US further and try to close off the Persian Gulf to oil tanker traffic at the same time they get Hezbollah to start another full scale war with Israel, and initiate terror strikes wherever they want.
It almost goes without saying that I have little confidence in this President’s ability to deal with these kind of scenarios effectively.
Let us hope that he would have the sense to really listen to his Joint Chiefs and Combatant Commanders and do what is necessary, rather than dithering around with Axelrod gaming out the domestic politics before taking action, as seems to be his habit.
Empty Suit comes to mind. Still is, always has been.
Looking into his eyes when he’s confronted with a crisis where blaming others or going into full campaign mode won’t work is like staring into the eyes of a cow. I call it a dumb, bovine stare. There is just nothing. No sign of intelligence whatsoever.
He’s already posturing on using this crisis as a club to stop off-shore oil drilling and moving his climate agenda forward. Maybe if the enviro-nitwits demands had been ignored, drilling would have gone forward in shallower waters where it is safer and easier to recover from an accident.
Glen Beck has it right, we’ve put an organized crime syndicate in charge of our country. I’m thinking maybe it’s time to revive Joe McCarthy and rid our government of Marxists/Socialists/Communists and every other ists in our midst.
It’s my understanding the the Kenyan Bow-Omatic did act courageously by sending Justice Dept lawyers to the scene. Nothing makes any situation better than a bunch of lawyers asking questions of those qualified, experienced people who could otherwise be at the actual disaster site, trying to get it under control.
I heard a person just this week defend him because he “is a lawyer from Harvard.” That statement demands that we as a nation examine the quality of legal minds they graduate, & reconsider the rarified status afforded Harvard.
We know great men. Men of character, vision, and integrity. This country was built by men who showed courage and bravely faced grave challenges. Men of dedication and wisdom, men of purpose. We know who great men are, our American experience has seen many leaders of substance. Unfortunately Obama is not one of these men.
“Rough men stand ready to keep and defend our well-being and safety. Someone wake President Obama when it’s over.
Nobody is going to mistake Obama for being any kind of man. He’s more likely to be found getting a manicure or bowing to our enemies than actually doing anything manly.
Vulcans… meh. Next time, let’s elect a Klingon.
November is looking sweeter and sweeter. Obambi and the liberal/statists will have their bottom lip stuck out so far they will trip over it. Can’t come soon enough.
Ever notice how everything, is his highest priority .
I love Wallace and Gromit. I have a lvl 69 Death Knight in World Of Warcraft named Wensleydale. Also a lvl 58 Paladin named Rogue Cheddar after the Monty Python “Ye Olde Cheese Shoppe” sketch. That’s where I took my handle from.
Sneak a snuke in the snizz?
America elected an “intellectual” and got a college professor for president. Why is anyone surprised by his (non) response in times of crisis? He does just what the average college professor is trained to do: analyze, not act.
There is nothing wrong with being analytical — but it’s not leadership. Good leaders surround themselves with analytical types who offer all the options, and then the leader make the final decisions on what actions to take. What was the most momentous decision Obama ever made? Asking out Michelle? Whether or not to vote “present”?
on raising money for Babs Boxer,
on photo-ops with Duke basketball team,
on vacation in Chicago,
on his approach shot to the green,…
Community organizing is not leadership.
zero being clueless is an understatment, he makes incompetence an art form. he is without a doubt the worst pathetic fraud this country has had as a poser president.
I know one hole that got plugged up and it had a finger up it. If you know what I mean. This man is a disgrace to the office. I wonder when he is shaving and nicks himself if he blames it on the last administration. The schmuck…
and please spare us the tripe about zero’s intellect. liberals are always impressed with his intellect, which only proves how little it takes to impress them. in liberal speak a sponge is an intellectual giant.
Obambi is an empty suit, he’s performing precisely as any zero would in serious circumstances. I hope that the media has lost its ability to cover for him and his administration, and I truely hope that we’ve seen the last of a lot of players, Hillary should never resurface!
Control the message (propaganda) and you’ve won part of the battle.
We are not seeing video scenes from the Gulf surface at the scene of the leak…cuz it’s a nightmare visual that America would respond horribly to.
The air is a haze of benzene and volatile solvents evaporating from the crude…it’s deadly to dolphins and whales who come up for air and ingest it. It’s causing workers on scene to black out, get dizzy and sick.
The Gulf surface undulates in an unnatural way for the Gulf…cuz the boats float on crude oil and not seawater any longer.
Fire boats shoot plumes of toxic dispersants onto the surface in the area.
It’s become an industrial scene that the Green groups would not tolerate if it’d be on a Republican President’s watch…but they are as silent as the bought off Sestak is.
This Obama regime will not allow these nightmare scenes to be broadcast cuz just as Americans were aghast seeing fellow Americans lie dead in the streets of NOLA following Katrina, Americans will not sit idle seeing what has happened upon our Gulf waters.
The Obama regime is controlling what they wish the electorate to know and see.
Where is the press to cover the real stories we’ve been shielded from?
This is America and not the former USSR or Red China.
___‹^›__‹(•¿•)›__‹^›___
Bho is being exposed to his own incompetence. It is a tough fact to swallow for his enormous ego and the American public is learning to do their own research about candidates since the press failed to expose the truth about Bho. At some point incompetence and corruption will have nowhere to hide.
Obama made us all a victim of affirmative action. He has gotten a pass all his life, which has made him boorish and petulant. He is ill-equipped to handle the job. Worse he is self-absorbed, making him unable to learn from experience. It is always the other guys fault with him.
I like this one better:
Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, but three times is enemy action.
Gutfeld (Redeye) said that Bho is like a right fielder, someone who is sent to right field not to catch anything because if he did he would drop the ball.
And don’t forget, he mentioned the dead workers LAST after the eco-damage, etc., when he talked about the crisis.
Ed Morrissey noted:
He didn’t answer questions during that press conference. He merely segued into canned teleprompter text.
Take away the teleprompters and the Blackberry (cut the puppet strings so that the puppet is disconnected from the puppet masters) and this puppet won’t be able to stand on his own.
We also know that Obama admitted (in his book) to using drugs, including cocaine (“blow”).
I’d like one reporter to be brave enough to ask him,
Just keep the pressure on; he can’t handle it.
On May 28th, 2010 at 8:49 am, TigerLady said:
I just read that now, after posting my comment above, and I agree completely.
Since “We the People” are the President’s employer, what would it take for us to require our employee to submit to a drug test?
The real question is; How much damage will this “Hologram” do before we neutralize him and his “Merry Band Of Morons”?
I believe NOTHING that Barry Soetoro says. I believe NOTHING a Muslim says.
See any connection here?
Michelle, Michelle. You wrote something that wasn’t quite complete:
You need to add: “I am angry and frustrated,” he said, as his heaving chest showed his glistening pecs to the awe-struck lame-stream media, who believe every word that comes out of The WON’s moistened lips, rolling languidly off his tongue”
Is that Zzzzz a snore, or a dial tone?
If this is not emblematic of the character of this administration, I don’t know what is.
What we have is a media personality playing the part of a president before cameras reading off scripts in between vacations. This guy is as disconnected with not only voters but the government establishment as one can be.
We’re going to need an enormous mop to clean up after this administration.
Given that Soetoro was in the loo when his daughter asked about “plugging the hole,” maybe she was talking about something else?
Predictable reaction of Barry, thinking of his past…
http://hillbuzz.org/2010/05/23/someone-in-the-national-media-is-finally-interested-in-mans-country-in-andersonville/
Wow. Didnt’ catch this on the first read. Two completely contradictory statements within seconds of each other. This is the obvious reason Barry avoids news conferences. Without TOTUS he is lost. He can not control the message. The spin spins out of control.
He acted stupidly.
Don’t know if anyone above has linked to this ad about Obama and the Oil Disaster, but I think it’s noteworthy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVehAAwh0gY&feature=player_embedded
Am blocked from clicking on Youtube (at work, here) – what does it say?
I was thinking more of a Ferengi. Sole focus on self at the expense of everything else.
And the ears.
“Ken, telephone!”
“Who is it?”
“The President!”
“Take a message.”
Absolutely right on the money.
As you wish-the EARS have it. Perhaps after his retiremnet he can tend bar on the Good Ship Lollipop.
===
An Armed Society is a polite society.
@ #63 babiesgrandma
A general description from HotAir about the NRSC ad:
“It starts off with Barack Obama himself in New Orleans during the campaign, blasting George Bush for a slow response to Hurricane Katrina and vowing “never again” repeatedly in his promise to be more responsive. It then quotes a number of media analysts and prominently features Democratic strategist James Carville offering strong criticisms of Obama’s response to the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf — which will hit New Orleans hard, economically if not physically.”
Nicely done.
MM has Our Idiot President down cold. He is a petulant, whiny, thin-skinned, incompetent. What a remarkably bad combination of qualities.
Thanks, Lockstein13. Carville and his wife, Mary Matalin, have been outspoken toward oblame-me, but Carville has since seemed to have dialed it back a little, blaming repubs as well.
I don’t think that Obama has ever really been on top of anything, except maby Michelle a couple of times.
When are people going to realize that what they read as coolness,or quiet strenghth or whatever they want to call it,is in reality confusion brought on by incomptence and inexperience.
Bambi really doesn’t know how to deal with real-life situations.
He never responds immediately to any situation because he doesn’t KNOW HOW TO,until his handlers tell him what his response SHOULD be.This is why he can’t speak coherently without his trusted teleprompter-he simply does not know what to say or do in any non-scriped situation.This is also why every time he opens his mouth without a prewritten script,he puts his foot in it(the police acted stupidly,57states etc.).
I’m sure that there is a psychological definition for Bambi’s condition,but for now I’ll just call it stupidity.
What Obama forgot to tell us was that after Malia asked him about plugging the hole, she followed it with another question: “But you are still going on vacation with us, right?”
Makes one wonder, why the BRILLIANT Harvard Scholar has not shared his scholarly work from the college days to the Nation.
Smart prose / thesis belongs in the public domain / peer review journals, so others can benefit from the wise and inspirational writings.
Everything about this guy, Obama, is phony.
With his obvious lack of experience, his closely guarding his college days writings, and his AFFIRMATIVE ACTION credentials, there is no way Obama could have conned the State of Illinois and half of USA into voting for him.
There is a puppet master behind the scene pulling the strings on Obama the puppett.
Experience:
Student
Business International Corp – Economics
New York Public Interest Research Group – What it sounds like
Community Organizer
Law Student
Editor
Teacher
Civil Rights advocate
State Senator – 1 year
Senator – Activly 6 months then campaigner
Leader of the free world
Is it not fair to say he’s over his head?
But of course, to be fair, Government can not solve every problem. Just as I wouldn’t expect Bush to solve every problem related to a huge natural disaster in Hurricane Katrina, I would not expect Obama to solve the issue of oil gushing out of the earth.
The one difference is that Katrina was an act of nature (other than the levees being old) and the Gulf spill was man caused (other than the natural flow of liquid from the earth).
He was searching for some food
when up through the ground came a bubbling crude
Oil that is, Texas Tea
My point is that it takes cooperation from a lot of people working together to solve problems but not every aspect of every problem will be solved. Presidents can’t force that to happen and neither can government.
Obama is finding that out but after bashing Bush, has had it come around to bite him. Teach him a lesson in civility that his supposed intellect certainly didn’t.
.
And his name is George Soros.
That one man wields more power than all Republicans combined. He has focused on it and strategized on how and what to do. He has set up the infrastructure and secured additional funding leverage on his own money.
He is the puppet master but most democrats don’t see him, they only see the puppet and they think its real.
Of course he has the “deer in the headlights” look. He has no idea how to be President. He is a community organizer. If it wasn’t for his teleprompter and czars he would be hiding in a closet, in the fetal position.
He has been focused on Arizona since day one, the oil spill not so much.
Even well intentioned amatuers don’t need to be “in-charge” of serious situations, and these ObamaNation clowns are not well intentioned at all. Their only interest is in appearing to be resourceful, competent, engaged leaders in order to reach their next objective. We are in serious trouble with Obambi & associates making decisions and pretending to care about our great Nation. It is getting precariously close to blowing up in our faces. It is environmental calamities coupled with an entire world on the brink of hostile confrontation and financial disasters on every front with the wrong people in charge. God help us all.
Presidential Advisor: “Mr. President, will you please call Secretary Salazar?”
Obeyme: “Okay, okay. Since you insist”
Ring…ring…
“Secretary Salazar’s Office”
Obeyme: “This is the President. Put Salazar on the line.
Sec Salazar: “Uh, uh..hmm, Mr. President?”
Obeyme: “Hey, listen up. I need to give you the latest spin line that we think we can sell to the American public on how we’re handling this mess down at the Gulf.” “Oh, and stop using that line about the boot in the neck, okay? Makes me sound too brutish.”