Heckuva job Barry. See what happens when Obama is allowed to speak without his teleprompter?
Yes, the Special Olympics joke was simply awful. He deserves every ounce of criticism he gets for it.
LENO: Now, are they going to put a basketball — I imagine the bowling alley has been just burned and closed down.
THE PRESIDENT: No, no. I have been practicing all — (laughter.)LENO: Really? Really?
THE PRESIDENT: I bowled a 129. (Laughter and applause.)
LENO: No, that’s very good. Yes. That’s very good, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: It’s like — it was like Special Olympics, or something. (Laughter.)
LENO: No, that’s very good.
THE PRESIDENT: No, listen, I’m making progress on the bowling, yes.
I found other aspects of his Leno appearance more troubling. First, his “the buck stops everywhere else” attitude about this financial crisis. Leno asked about tax cheat Treasury secreatry Tim Geithner,
MR. LENO: Now, Treasury Secretary Geithner, he seems to be taking a little bit of heat here. How is he holding up with this? He seems like a smart guy —
MR. OBAMA: He is a smart guy and he’s a calm and steady guy. I don’t think people fully appreciate the plate that was handed him.
What was handed him? Did Geithner work at 7-11 before becoming Treasury secretary? Ohhhhhhhhh, that’s right, he ran the New York Fed, overseeing all these greedy investment banks. When he was nominated, Obama said he was the only man for the job because of his role at the NY Fed. Let’s flash back, shall we,
March 21, 2008
Bernanke’s quiet skipper makes waves
N.Y. Fed’s Geithner is steering Wall Street into uncharted waters
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — When the phone rings at 3 a.m. alerting the government to a financial emergency, the call doesn’t come in to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue but to an apartment in Manhattan.
The government’s go-to guy on crises big and small is a quiet, unassuming public servant with a wife and kids, a winning smile and an aversion to the spotlight.
His name is Timothy Geithner and he’s the president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, which is the Fed’s outpost on the front lines of the credit maelstrom now rocking the nation.
Back to Leno, here’s Obama passing the buck once again,
On the AIG thing, all these contracts were written well before I took office, but ultimately I’m now the guy who’s responsible to fix it.
Really Barack? That’s your story and your sticking to it? Isn’t it interesting that Geithner and Sen. Dodd (D-Countrywide) were each accusing the other for allowing the AIG bonuses? And then there are your fellow Democrats in Congress, who are pointing the finger not at George W. Bush (for once), but directly at your White House.
CNN’s Situation Room said “it’s not just Republicans assigning blame. More and more congressional Democrats are pointing fingers at the White House, telling us they believe they tried to deal with this issue, but were stopped by the Obama Administration.”
It is pretty hard to believe that Obama inhereted the AIG bonus mess given the fact that his party is “increasingly uneasy” about the bonus and subsequent firestorm.
The Leno visit is a great representation of what I think is one of Obama’s biggest problems, his desire need to be popular, to be loved. This is perhaps the worst personal characteristic that a President, or leader of any significant organization, can have. Obama’s need for approval and affection is of Clintonian proportions. You simply cannot make the truly difficult decisions Obama claims to be all about if your personal popularity is paramount. We’ve seen numerous examples already, from the Stimulus Bill which he simply handed over to Pelosi and Reid, to the recent spending bill he signed with 9,000 earmarks, despite his pledge to do away with them.
I’m struck by the difference in this one area between Bush and Obama. For all his flaws, George W. Bush made the tough decisions, angered many but stuck by them. Bush took more criticism on a good day than Obama has in his entire life. On Iraq, Bush made many serious mistakes. However, at the darkest hour, he stepped up and made an incredibly unpopular decision to go forward with the surge. If you remember, Bush had the perfect political cover, a blue-ribbon panel known as the Iraq Study Group. They handed Bush as an easy out, recommending withdrawal from Iraq. Bush said thank you for your report, but I’m not going to concede defeat. That is a real test of character for a leader. Going against the grain, making unpopular decisions and sticking by them because you believe they are the right thing to do.
Does anyone believe Barack Obama has a decision like that in him?