With Mr. Obama standing largely silently at his side, Mr. Clinton took over the lectern to lend his backing to the tax compromise the White House reached this week with Republicans. And then Mr. Clinton went on, for half an hour, answering questions and holding forth on topics from triangulation to Haiti to the mortgage crisis and the nuclear arms treaty with Russia.
Even after the 44th president excused himself and left the room, the 42nd went on. On cable TV, Mr. Clinton’s presence in front of the blue backdrop with the White House logo was familiar, as were the wagging finger and the occasional bitten lip.
Mr. Clinton and Mr. Obama turned up suddenly after meeting privately together for almost 90 minutes in the Oval Office. With no warning to Mr. Obama’s aides, the two men wandered through the nearly deserted West Wing — most staff members were at a holiday party — and tried to get into the briefing room but found the door locked. Only after they finally encountered Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, were arrangements made to turn on the lights and microphone and assemble the press corps.
This really did happen. It's on television, and you can hear about it on the radio. Pictures were taken. Recorders were rolling. Bill Clinton is addressing the press on behalf of The Teleprompter Jesus. What in the heck is going on in there? Does anyone know? Can anyone explain it?
OBAMA THEN LEFT THE PRESS CONFERENCE, SAYING THAT HE AND MICHELLE HAD TO GET TO A CHRISTMAS PARTY !!!!! HE LET BILL FREAIN' CLINTON FINISH HIS PRESS CONFERENCE !!!!!
I MEAN, I'M NOT A HUGE FAN OF GEORGE W., BUT CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT WOULDA HAPPENED IF GEORGE W. HAD TURNED THE PRESIDENTIAL PODIUM OVER TO HIS DADDY ???
Here's what Iowahawk had to say:
WASHINGTON DC - Ending weeks of speculation and rumors, President-Elect Barack Obama today named Bill Clinton to join his incoming administration as President of the United States, where he will head the federal government's executive branch.
"I am pleased that Bill Clinton has agreed to come out of retirement to head up this crucial post in my administration," said Obama. "He brings a lifetime of previous executive experience as Governor of Arkansas and President of the United States, and has worked closely with most of the members of my Cabinet."
And then....
"Let's face it, it's obvious I'm in way over my head here," explained Obama. "Anyone paying attention knows I am a disaster waiting to happen, and who can blame them? I mean, just look at the stock market. That's why I think it's in the best interest of the country that I hand over the reins to people who, whatever their ethical shortcomings, at least have a faint clue about what they're doing. Come on, man. I've got a 401-k, too."
While the naming of Clinton appears to have momentarily calmed jittery financial markets, it sparked ripples of disapproval at liberal websites like Huffington Post and DailyKos. The progressive blogosphere was an early key source of support for Mr. Obama's candidacy, but a steady stream of Clinton-era appointees since the election has left some charging that he had betrayed his campaign promises to bring them to Washington as part of a sweeping culture of change -- a charge that Mr. Obama vehemently accepted.
"Oh, for crissakes. Are you kidding me? Are you friggin' kidding me?" asked Obama. "Of course I betrayed those goddamned idiots. Have any of you actually spent five minutes with them? I have, unfortunately. Nothing personal, but I wouldn't trust these internet windowlickers with a plastic spork from Taco Bell, let alone a freaking $3 trillion dollar budget global superpower. Look, I may be naive, but I'm not stupid. And if Kose or Koz or whatever the f*** his name is thinks for one second I give a rat's ass about who he wants in charge of the Treasury Department, he's even stupider than he looks."
Hit the Iowahawk link above to read the whole thing. It is priceless.
It really has come to this. Bill Clinton is now filling in. At least we have an adult in the room.
Here's the New York Times picture of Obama leaving the leader of the free world podium to go to a party or play some basketball or mess with Sasha and Malia's Wii or something.
4 comments:
Yes, all this is disreputable and unpresidential, but it's a symptom, not a disease.
Obama is the most inexperienced president this nation has ever had. He's also the most radical. He's also the most callow and empty. He's smart, articulate, and charismatic, but these qualities have been inflated by a factor of 10.
He let Pelosi and Reid run over him, failing to take control over his own agenda. His idea of "cooperation" was doing so with the Democrats in Congress. He made no attempt to "reach across the aisle" except to two or three Republican Senators he thought he could turn.
His agenda was soundly rebuked in the recent election. The policies he passed are failing. He needed a bipartisan success story to round out this Congress because the next one will bring his agenda to a halt.
He and Axelrod will frame the Clinton thing as humility. It's just another political maneuver. He is losing his base as he lost the moderates. He literally called Republicans his enemies; so much for bipartisanship.
This was damage control. He figured it couldn't damage him more, but could possibly hold on to some semblence of morale. Whether he intended to turn over the podium to Clinton or just poorly time the event, it shows his lack of leadership.
And then there's the recurring theme: every time there's a crisis, Obama is attending an expensive party.
If the last two years was a movie I would have walked out long ago, knowing in real life our government is nothing like this.
The scary thing? Every other government in the world is fully aware of what you guys just said. They're too polite to say so, but the know all of this.
China is about to start calling in our debt, parts of Asia and Europe are going to start demanding more from our military stationed there, cats and dogs living together, all the Biblical plagues.
We shall see.
When Bill said we'd get two for one if Hillary were around (or we'd get her if he got elected), he wasn't lying. Credit where credit is due for follow-through on pledges.
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