Found by Peggy
For us political junkies it feels like waiting for the bell to ring for round #1.
Here is a great article. He saved the best for last.
Barack Obama: Slacker-in-Chief. He has higher priorities than attending to domestic and foreign policy. By Deroy Murdock
Concerning the fun parts of his job, Barack Obama resembles the Energizer Bunny. If there are crowds to wow, entertainers to schmooze, or donors to pitch, Obama is Johnny on the Spot. Too bad his sparks stop flying when it comes time for the serious heavy lifting of the presidency.
This phenomenon’s most chilling example involves Obama’s national-security-related Presidential Daily Brief (PDB). As the Government Accountability Institute (GAI) calculated, and Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen first reported, Obama attended only 43.8 percent of his PDBs between January 23, 2009 (three days after his inauguration), and May 31, 2012. Available nearly every day, the PDB allows the commander-in-chief to hear directly from top intelligence professionals about the latest threats to U.S. safety. These experts are on hand to answer questions, hear suggestions, and otherwise help Obama foil America’s enemies. But Obama has had higher priorities.
According to GAI’s data, which was culled from the official White House calendar and Politico’s news coverage of that schedule, Obama chose to skip his PDBs and, instead, simply read his briefing book. This is a bit like studying one’s chest X-rays at home, having spurned a radiologist’s offer to interpret them and answer pertinent questions. In this sense, Obama quietly reviewed his national-security X-rays alone during 56.2 percent of the time GAI analyzed. In 2011, Obama missed 61.6 percent of his PDBs.
Obama skipped his PDBs between September 5 and 11, the entire week before the American consulate in Benghazi suffered an Islamic terror attack that killed U.S. ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, technical officer Sean Smith, and former Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods. Who knows if a briefer’s classified utterance, or a particularly astute question from Obama, might have triggered tighter security in Benghazi and perhaps prevented the murders of four Americans?
Even worse, as Thiessen reports, Obama postponed and eventually skipped his PDB on the day after these planned and deliberate assassinations. This liberated Obama for a truly indispensable responsibility that day. As American embassies burned brightly throughout the Islamic world, Obama jetted off on Air Force One for a campaign fundraiser in America’s least solemn city — Las Vegas.
At last, three days after the Benghazi bloodshed, and nine days after his last PDB, September 14’s White House schedule shows Obama sitting still for a proper briefing. Perhaps the scrutiny of Thiessen and other critics finally has inspired Obama to attend his PDBs with the regularity of his predecessors.
Obama this week met with exactly zero world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, not least of them Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who wants to stop Iran from redecorating Jerusalem and Tel Aviv with mushroom clouds. Obama found time, however, to serve as “eye candy” for Whoopi Goldberg and the cast of The View.
Obama has shirked his domestic obligations, too. He reportedly has held just two Cabinet meetings this year — on January 31 and July 26. While claiming to be totally focused on reducing naggingly high unemployment, Obama has not met with his Jobs Council since January. White House press secretary Jay Carney explained, “The president’s obviously got a lot on his plate.” This has included a $38,000-per-plate fundraiser at the Manhattan home of actress Sarah Jessica Parker and golf, of which Obama has enjoyed some 104 rounds as president.
Obama’s dereliction of duty would be bad enough if he were a latter-day Eisenhower: a well-respected, perhaps feared, world leader enjoying prosperity at home and peace (or at least a manageable Cold War) overseas. Instead, Obama grows increasingly comical, the domestic economy languishes, and the American flag has become an alternative fuel source across the Middle East. Nonetheless, Ike Jr. parties like it’s 1959.
Perhaps Obama has devolved from president to slacker-in-chief in an elaborate display of empathy for America’s 12.5 million unemployed. With so many citizens not working, Barack Obama may reckon, why should he?
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/328675/barack-obama-slacker-chief-deroy-murdock
Wow! This has to be the very best writing ever produced by Deroy Murdock. As we have said many times before: Obama lacked the skills and experience for the presidency; Obama is a rock star not presidential material; Obama is a dangerous radical out to make America over in the image of his radical views; Obama cannot be counted on to defend the nation or the Constitution; Obama is an adolescent posing as a leader and loves the idea of being president over the job of being president.
“Even worse, as Thiessen reports, Obama postponed and eventually skipped his PDB on the day after these planned and deliberate assassinations.”
Didn’t Thiessen’s own paper call him out … for a liar, not just sloppiness, mind, actual lying? I think they did, so I don’t know why this guy is parroting statements that are false.
I can’t be too concerned about the rest of it. Obama does not actually run the country himself, you know. He’s our figurehead, our policy maker, and you could say he’s spent the year working hard to elect a Congress willing to do some actual work.
This is precisely why I do not wish Barack Hussein Obama to continue being in possession of the most powerful administration on earth. He is an inept, self centered child whose only claim to fame is usurping the credit of real men and adept planners. Like the Seals taking Bin Laden.
Whatever one may think of the HW Bush presidency, for a nano second does anyone (besides a fool) think he would be blowing his own horn like Obama has?
Certainly Bush misstepped with his premature “Mission Accomplished” speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, but his intent was to honor the service men and women who had done job well done, not for the purpose — much less exclusive purpose — of his own self-aggrandizement like the current odious clown who occupies the oval office.
Beck vs. Spitzer: The War on the Words
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/watch-beck-Beck vs. Spitzer: The War on the Words
Re Libbya’s: “I can’t be too concerned about the rest of it. Obama does not actually run the country himself, you know. He’s our figurehead, our policy maker, and you could say he’s spent the year working hard to elect a Congress willing to do some actual work.”
A fool living in a fool’s paradise. The progressive paradigm. When in charge progressive leaders are not actually in charge. In fact they do not even lead. They merely lobby, campaign and seek a consensus. That is the progressive model for politics, government, and leadership. Thank you for making it so abundantly clear, Libbya. I could not have said it better myself.
If Romney does not bring forth these facts (in Deroy Murdock’s piece) to light in the debates and his campaign he deserves to lose. It is time to play hard ball. Real hard ball backed up by his admirable qualifications and realistic plans.
Pie, that was a very astute observation on our figurehead-in-chief. Everything you said was spot on. The Pres has far less to do with our national economic and social success than either party would have you believe.
The real power is in Congress, and unfortunately mostly of the time they only serve to get in the way of private sector success. Rarely are they clever enough to do something right that helps capitalism. This is why our framers limited their sworn responsibilities ONLY to things that would be hard to screw up, unless you were a complete blithering idiot. Things like, interstate highways and bridges, providing for the common defense by maintaining a standing army… and such.
It shouldn’t be all that hard to govern intelligent people since they do most of the work and thinking for Congress. Where we run into trouble is electing a Congress that will properly govern itself… that is something Hamilton warned us would be downright difficult at times.
I agree. -Jack
“In fact they do not even lead. They merely lobby, campaign and seek a consensus.”
That’s right. This is supposed to be a democracy, you know. We don’t have one of them governments where the President says “do this” … and everybody has to.
If that’s what you’re looking for … gosh, I’m having trouble … not even Putin has it that easy.
No, what’s bumming you out is that Obama does not do that “Rah, rah, jingoistic thing” about Iran or China or any of the nations we have “issues” with. That sort of thing might please you, but the nations would just ignore it, and there is … alas … limited political capital to be gleaned from pleasing you.
And this is a bummer, ain’t it?
… whose only claim to fame is usurping the credit of real men and adept planners. Like the Seals taking Bin Laden.
Ooooh, you’re not being fair at all. He said “go.” That was a ballsy thing to do, cause if it hadn’t “gone”, I’m not having any trouble imagining what you’d be saying … bellowing, yowling, screeching … actually.
You may not want to give the man credit, but he gets it anyway.
Libby: “Obama does not actually run the country himself, you know. He’s our figurehead, our policy maker…”
My how you excuse this man! Like it or don’t he is the man in charge. The man in charge should be engaging those others that do the work. He is totally hands off and hope for the best…a disaster! (Of course he appears to the uninvolved to be blameless for his uninvolvment…isn’t that what cowards do!)
“…you could say he’s spent the year working hard to elect a Congress willing to do some actual work.”
But you would be wrong. He is working hard to save his own re-election chances. Many of his constituents in Congress would rather not be seen with him…some are running without identifying the party…other party members have been brave enough to speak some truth about his promotion by the media to this position.
The last 3.5 years tell us all we need to know about what democrats in congress will foist on the American people…dependency…malaise…joblessness… little chance to improve ones circumstance, savings or wealth…enormous debt…inflation and higher costs…looming tax increases…tons of new expensive regulation…businesses shutting their doors…doctors unwilling to work under Obamacare…a president that thinks its the job of the federal government to inform mothers not to give their kids potato chips (OMG).
His calling is community organizer…send him back to Chicago or Hawaii where he can serve on the local chip patrol!
Libby: “That’s right. This is supposed to be a democracy, you know.”
Actually it’s supposed to be a republic!
“No, what’s bumming you out is that Obama does not do that ‘Rah, rah, jingoistic thing'”
Sure he does…he just uses a different cheer…the can’t we all just get along cheer.
You will notice the result is a more dangerous ME. The result is a casual approach with a diplomat left to fend for himself, unprotected, and on the 9/11 anniversary was attacked, tortured, and murdered along with other American officials and military…the hands off president, meanwhile, was off to Vegas to schmooze and glad hand with the rich and famous and play a few rounds of golf.
Libby your support of the man after this performance is horrible. You gave Bush grief for being on the job and doing things you didn’t like…differences in approach. this is incompetence, indifference, self interest, and just plain low down and ugly.
Talk about a BUMMER!
He may get the credit for Bin laden Libby but we all know he doesn’t really deserve it.
For all we know the decision in this case may have been a bad one. No attempt was made to capture him. Obama doesn’t want any evidence that could be used against him…what he has tried to avoid may one day prove to have been a trap. Bragging about killing bin Laden (7 times at the convention!) sure wasn’t diplomatically smart…could say it added fuel to a fire he helped to ignight with his ME cheerleading style.
1) “The result is a casual approach with a diplomat left to fend for himself, unprotected, and on the 9/11 anniversary was attacked, tortured, and murdered along with other American officials and military ….”
Our Libyan embassy was very well secured, and them as survived owe their lives to American and Libyan security employees of the embassy who stood their ground during a seven-hour fire-fight … until Libyan national forces finally showed up.
2) “For all we know the decision in this case may have been a bad one. No attempt was made to capture him. Obama doesn’t want any evidence that could be used against him ….”
And if you are actually suggesting some sort of Obama-Osama conspiracy … you’ve lost your freakin’ mind.
How does one deal with such delusion? … such an anti-intellectual contagion? I haven’t the foggiest; I really don’t. All I can do is hope it don’t spread.
Libby, you are correct–the Washington Post’s fact-checker did determine that Thiessen lied in his reporting that Obama “skipped” his intelligence briefings.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/the-bogus-claim-that-obama-skips-his-intelligence-briefings/2012/09/23/100cb63e-04fc-11e2-8102-ebee9c66e190_blog.html
Of course, if we have learned anything from this blog, it’s that the conservative members here won’t stop repeating this claim even though it is demonstrably false.
Re the Post article offerred as “proof” of a lie:
“But we also have noted that Bush took significantly more vacation days than Obama has taken.”
In all eight years or in a year by year comparison? Must we fact check the fact checker? He has left out some important information…wonder if Mr. Kessler deserves a few Pinocchio’s? Let’s continue:
How many of the Bush ranch vacations were working vacations? He often met with dignitaries at his ranch as Reagan did at his ranch. The comparison, without this information is misleading!
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-08-03-bush-ranch_x.htm
And what about the extravagance and liberties taken by the Obama’s. The Obama’s often take separate planes. Laura Bush made sure her travel coincided with his as often as possible to avoid the extra expense to the taxpayers. The Obama’s invite friends and relatives along, they entertain celebrities often. In contrast the Bush’s retired to bed…Bush spent time reading!
At a time when a lot of people are out of work and our servicemen are still fighting and dying the lack of concern and discretion seems just a bit crass and out of touch.
Now to the crux of Chris’s point.
This information is even more damning than what they call a lie:
His sense of importance about intelligence briefings from the beginning, having had ZERO prior intel experience, zero military experience, and zero executive experience was to dismiss these briefings as irrelevant. It wouldn’t have been my choice.
Reading a brief is no substitute for meeting with those one is supposed to be LEADING and are charged with carrying out one’s orders. Even if Obama is so arrogant as to think he doesn’t need to ask them questions does it not occur to him they might have questions for him?
Perhaps this is the problem…he has no leadership qualities, no questions or answers and so avoids a confrontation by not meeting with them at all.
In peace time this might make sense or at least be more easily accepted as adequate. Not when there are men fighting and dying in the field and certainly not when a radical element has declared war on the US and has shown on a daily basis they intend to do Americans harm.
No President since WWII has been President while fighting a dangerous global threat…other than GWB. I don’t think we have ever fought a war, or an enemy, exactly like this one and it evolves and changes all the time.
http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/new-terror-threats-2012-6391
Sitting at his desk and initiating from his kill list is not demonstrative of an engaged Commander-in-Chief! Not in my opinion, anyway.
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2012/05/drone-strikes-and-obamas-kill-list/52879/#
“George W. Bush wanted personal and oral, and that matched CIAs institutional interest in face to face with the president…In contrast, Bill Clinton the reader was known to comment that his morning papers were better than the intel brief, and better written…”
Did you catch the barb. Bill Clinton the diddler would be more accurate!
George Bush read vociferously, by the way, and he actually worked as president. Both Clinton and Obama play(ed) at being president…Clinton in the little closet, smacking down pizza like a teenager, or golfing…and Obama playing B-ball, bowling, on the golf course, and entertaining friends with Michelle (he’s done by dinner time…Netanyahu can leave by the back door).
It should be noted that Clinton’s reading of things intel resulted in an attack on the United States and construction of The Wall…which was attributed as the reason we failed to connect the dots and avert the horror of 911.
Technically the charge that Obama does not attend briefings is true. He doesn’t attend briefings. Although the charge was not a lie it was not entirely correct either, lacking complete information…Obama chose not schedule briefings and the writer should have considered that as a possibility (note above that the writer of this article has left out a lot of information that, since he chose to compare to other presidents, should have been included to be completely accurate).
The importance of Obama’s choice to not attend briefings is a matter of opinion and perspective.
Never say die!
“With both radicalization and training online, the threat of homegrown terrorism is on the rise, especially in the West. Although the attacks mounted by well structured groups located in the global south present a lethal threat, the frequency of attacks by self-radicalized cells and individuals is on the uptick. As governments fail to counter terrorist ideology, the world is witnessing a steady increase in incidents of self-radicalized terrorism.”
Now … I can’t tell. Are they talking about an Islamic threat? Am afraid it applies equally as follows.
From Salon this morning: “Anti-Muslim Attacks Continue”
After a string of violent assaults across the country, a Toledo mosque becomes the newest target. …
The growing list of anti-Islamic crimes includes the unsolved arson fire of another mosque in Joplin, Mo., that burned to the ground on Aug. 6. In Illinois, shots were fired at a mosque in Morton Grove, and an acid bomb was thrown at an Islamic school in Lombard. In Oklahoma, vandals fired paint balls at a mosque. In California, pigs legs were thrown at a mosque. In Panama City, Fla., a firebomb damaged a Muslim familys home.
Sometimes, it appears, hate crimes have been directed at victims the perpetrators may have mistakenly believed were Muslims, when in fact they were members of another religious faith.
On Aug. 5, six members of a Sikh temple in suburban Milwaukee were gunned down by neo-Nazi skinhead Wade Michael Page, who belonged to a racist white power band.
Also during this years Ramadan, an Arab Christian church in Detroit was vandalized.
***
That’s the sort of extremist violence being perpetrated in this country. And Tina, you you think you’re not culpable in all this, you are dead wrong.