"ALL CAPS IN DEFENSE OF LIBERTY IS NO VICE."

Saturday, May 23, 2009

JACOB WEISBERG: GETTING TO KNOW OBAMA

Jacob Weisberg is the editor in chief of the Slate Group and author of The Bush Tragedy. He recently published this essay in Newsweek. Excerpt:
...[In his books, BHO] is a persuasive and appealing character—so much so that he left little demand for alternative explanations. As time goes by, though, Obama's Obama feels less satisfying....

[...]

He's ruthless. In a recent interview with the Times, Obama described his economic policy as "ruthless pragmatism." Interesting choice of modifier. Obama has a healthy disdain for the overrated virtue of political loyalty. But around nominations, his lack of loyalty was slightly chilling to witness. If you're useful (Hillary Clinton), you can hang around with him. If you start to look like a liability (Tom Daschle), enjoy your time with the wolves. Before the inauguration, Christopher Hitchens described Obama as feline in his demeanor. The president is catlike also in his lack of evident affection for the people who serve him. His cracks at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner about Hillary being an envious loser, Larry Summers's problem with women and training his new dog not to pee on Tim Geithner skirted cruelty. Even Obama's jokes about himself were telling: they were all about how great everyone thinks he is.
Weisberg doesn't use the word "narcissist," but clearly he is decribing BHO as one.

Weisberg also mentions the specter of Jimmy Carter:
Can any one person simultaneously manage so many issues in a hands-on way? Our last presidential micromanager, Jimmy Carter, did not have a pleasant time in Washington.
Read Weisberg's entire essay and readers' comments HERE.

Less than a year ago, Weisberg wrote this:
Racism is the only reason McCain might beat him.
Is Weisberg having second thoughts as to the kind of President America election on November 4, 2008 -- now that BHO has been in the Oval Office for more than 100 days?

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