Oh that Obama!
Barack Obama isn't even president yet, and he's already committed his first "gaffe." At his proto-presidential news conference on Friday, Obama was asked which former presidents he had consulted about how to discharge his new duties. The puckish president-elect replied: "I have spoken to all of them who are living. I didn't want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about doing any séances." Later, Obama apologized to Nancy Reagan for the allusion to her practice of consulting astrologers (not mediums) in planning her husband's schedule.
The apology may have been a political imperative, but I loved Obama's original comment. It showed that he has a smartass streak, which high office tends to suppress. Only rarely do figures of the magnitude of Obama let their inner wisguy escape.
It happened a couple of times at the Senate confirmation of hearings of John G. Roberts as chief justice. Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah (in the self-referential habit of senators) told Roberts: "I read an interesting book over the weekend, Cass Sunstein's recent book published by Basic Books. Now, he discussed various philosophies with regard to judging. And I just would like to ask you this question: Some of the philosophies he discussed were whether a judge should be an originalist, a strict constructionist, a fundamentalist, perfectionist, a majoritarian or minimalist -- which of those categories do you fit in?" Roberts replied: "I didn't have a chance to read Professor Sunstein's book. He writes a different one every week; it's hard to keep up with him."
Speaking of the Supreme Court, when I was covering the court, schoolkids on pilgrimage to the nation's capital were often dragooned into watching oral arguments before the justices. At the end of one particulary soporific session, a group of junior high schoolers was taking a shortcut out of the courtoom through the press gallery. I asked their teacher if her students had enjoyed the argument. One boy piped up: "Yeah, I was riveted to my seat." Ah, I thought, a kindred spirit! At his age I also was a smartass. (It runs in the family.)
Life is tough for little smartasses -- or mavericks, as John McCain and Sarah Palin might describe them. McCain, by the way, fought smartassery with smartassery while campaigning in New Hampshire. When a high school student asked McCain if at 71 he was too old to be president, the candidate shot back: "Thanks for the question, you little jerk. You're drafted.'' That moment was the closest I came to supporting McCain.
Obama is a class act.....I thought his little "gaffe" was cute.
Posted by: Links (Rick) | November 13, 2008 at 03:54 PM
Obama was a great Orator, but we still do not know whether or not to trust him. So far he is starting a third war, lied to the gays, and christians. And 95% of all blacks voted for him knowing full well he supports abortions and before the election supported gay rights. If you followed his campaign you would see that he told every state just what they wanted to hear. Change?
Posted by: Ann | November 09, 2008 at 06:12 PM
"I love rude, disrespectful bullies like Obama."
Doesn't surprise me at all. Obama supporters thought it was witty and charming when Obama flipped off Hillary Clinton and John McCain at rallies. Adults thought he looked like an idiot.
Shouldn't we want someone civil to represent our nation?
Posted by: austintx | November 09, 2008 at 07:22 AM
There is a bit of difference picking on a currently active, public intellectual-type professor at a major university versus an 80+ year old former first lady long since retired from the arena. However, if you choose to go that route, you should get the joke right, no? Maybe Obama confused Reagan with his erstwhile Democratic opponent, known for dialing up the shade of Eleanor Roosevelt.
Posted by: Mitchell Young | November 09, 2008 at 06:31 AM
Obama does not support gay marriage because it's against his Christian faith, though he is against passing laws against it because that would be against equal protection of the law. But gay marriage is a civil marriage and the state cannot use religion in state law, such as prohibiting the use of the word "marriage," rather than "union," for the formation of a family unit recognized by the state. The fact is that anything literally sacred is not controlled by the state but by religious congregations according to their own religious laws. The state's duty is to maintain equal protection of the state's laws, while enabling congregations to use their own religious laws as they see fit by giving their clergy the right to legitimize religious marriage. On the other hand, the state cannot force a congregation to marry a couple against their religious code, unlike the case of a pharmacy which may have to sell essential products required by the state as needed for public health. After all, the drive for separation of church and state originated from the religious getting the state out of religion rather than getting religion out of the state.
In the JEWISH state of Israel straight couples cannot legitimately be married by reform or conservative rabbis. Thanks to separation of church and state, in all the states of the Union those rabbis can legitimately marry couples if allowed by their code. It is tragic that the black churches have in the main rejected Martin Luther KIng's identification of the civil rights movement as one applicable to ALL minorities, including gays.
Unlike in the JEWISH state of Israel, a couple of gays in America should be able to have the same right to form a family by civil marriage as straights do. (My Israeli brother told me once that the Israeli courts have ruled that a gay couple has to be recognized by the state as a (common law?) sort of family with full (state) rights of a married family. This is funny because straight couples cannot legitimately be married there by reform or conservative rabbis. Thanks to separation of church and state here, in all the states of the Union those rabbis can legitimately marry couples if allowed by their code.) The biggest reason for Israel and its stupid friends not to negotiate peace with the democratically elected 2006 Hamas led Palestinian government was because they required Hamas to first recognize the Jewish state of Israel, rather than just the elected government of Israel, for the purpose of negotiations just as Israel would just recognize the elected government of the Palestinian Authority. It was a disaster for Israel and the Palestinians, as well as for the world interest in mideast peace.
Posted by: Michael Glaubman | November 08, 2008 at 09:50 PM
What is wrong with Obama thinking he was the president even before he was chosen? I think it is great that he imagined himself in that role, after all, to achieve it, you have to believe it. In addition, it was not only Democrats who chose Obama as president. This should be a wake up call to the GOP that they need to appeal to more than just the "real, patriotic Americans" if the want to win in the future. Obama appeals to those of us who are still hopeful and with the US in the state it is in today, we need hope. Now, let's all join together and hope that our new President combines hope with some real changes to get this country back on track. If Obama wasn't your choice, he is still your President, so pray for him, just like I have for GW Bush all these years.
Posted by: Nicole Dixson | November 08, 2008 at 08:05 PM
obama thought he was the president even before he was the chosen one by the Democrats.
Posted by: ania | November 08, 2008 at 03:15 PM
You see, it's harder then you think to be on top. Everybody will have something to say about what you say, what you wear, what you do, what you think, who you hang with and even what kind of a new dog you will get.........welcome to America's glass bubble brimming with criticism....especially on a "let's create a pick on you news today". Get to know the man you have created within your mind, you're going to need him.
Posted by: Candice Hayes | November 08, 2008 at 03:12 PM