When Slapped, Slap Back

[Beacool]

By Eugene Robinson
Tuesday, April 21, 2009

It's hard to argue with the results thus far from President Obama's "no drama" approach to campaigning and governing, but I think he should learn to chew a little scenery when the occasion demands. Theatricality is one of the weapons in any leader's arsenal, and a well-timed glower or growl can have more impact than a sheaf of position papers.

Obama's critics are upset that at the recent Summit of the Americas, held in Trinidad and Tobago, he treated his fellow leaders from around the hemisphere as peers. Obama's collegial attitude was, indeed, a break from tradition -- and was long overdue. Nothing would have been gained by barking orders at our neighbors and reinforcing the old image of insufferable yanqui arrogance.

There were a couple of moments at the summit, however, when Obama would have been right to throw off a little heat.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/20/AR2009042002814.html

[mkultra]

1. no thanks. His posture is why i voted for him

Hes is far more presidential than previous presidents. Chavez is small potatoes and should always be treated as such.

Never race a pinto.
If you lose, you look stupid.
If you win, you look stupid.




Also, this is a dupe post of the same MSM story.

[Cali_Democrat]

2. The basic gist of this article is that Obama needs to be more unhinged, like McCain.

Meh.

:thumbsdown:

[Doctor_J]

10. BZZZT! Thanks for playing

sharpness is not the same thing as lunacy.

[Cali_Democrat]

23. LOL

okay

[NYC_SKP]

3. Eugene Robinson is a tool, a media tool.

I should bite his ankles until he cries like a little girl.

grrrrrrrrrr.

[AtomicKitten]

5. A Pulitzer prize winning tool as it turns out FWIW.

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/04/20/daily15.html

[NYC_SKP]

8. But not unwilling to participate in the theater of absurd obama critique.

On the tee vee.

[Captain Hilts]

40. He's an Obama cheerleader, actually. nt

[Raineyb]

45. And he happens to be wrong on this one n/t

[Captain Hilts]

48. I actually like the fact that Prez Obama made the 'error of omission' here and did not do

as Robinson recommended. Chavez is a two-bit megalomaniac. We - the president - and the people of the US should not lower ourselves to his level.

But I wouldn't have said "I'm going to look at the book."

It's a nice change of pace to have a president with some party manners. Whew!

[ClarkUSA]

46. Yes, the same way Pat Buchanan was a Hillary "cheerleader" but things change with the times, eh?

[MADem]

6. He always gave Obama pretty good press in his columns. nt

[polmaven]

14. Little boys don't cry?

Or is it just more insulting to use "girl"?

[mkultra]

16. no they dont.

Ive never shed a tear. Its a real shame to because my tears cure cancer.

[Captain Hilts]

41. It's more fun to insult women. nt

[polmaven]

51. Well sure...

And there ain't nothin the least bit sexist about it.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

42. Not at all. I love Eugene Robinson and his coverage of Obama has been quite fair.

[MADem]

4. He made two good points, but no biggie.

I actually thought the "fifty minutes" remark was the best put down possible--utterly dismissive of the content, and calling the guy a blowhard, in five short words. An eye roll at Chavez wouldn't have hurt, but so what. If that guy keeps eating (he gets fatter every year, he's like Orson Wells) he'll be a brief President for Life and we'll get to deal with the next egomaniac in charge.

But when Obama shook the man's hand, he should have telegraphed clearly, through posture, expression and language, that he was not amused. Chávez's gift of the book was meant to affront, not to enlighten, and I would have advised Obama to reciprocate in kind.

The other moment for presidential theatrics was Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's 50-minute speech excoriating, yes, the long and sordid history of U.S. meddling in Latin America. Asked later about Ortega's peroration, Obama replied curtly that "it was 50 minutes long."

[40ozDonkey]

7. Pshaw.

What a shock, the emerging economies paid attention and participated in the summit in a mature fashion, and the regressive and stagnating economies with huge egos decided to bluster.

C'mon Eugene. There are smarter ways to show that the pimp hand is strong.

[Doctor_J]

9. Agreed

That's one JFK attribute that he hasn't yet been able to co-opt. Highlighting his intelligence, morality, and engagement with a little flair, against rivals/enemies both foreign AND domestic, would be a great move.

[Beacool]

11. I happen to agree with Robinson on this one.

Ortega's 50 minute speech warranted a sterner response than saying that he (Obama) hoped that Ortega wasn't blaming him for something that happened when he was 3 months old.

As for Chavez, he's a repressive thug. A left wing thug, but a thug nonetheless.

[ClarkUSA]

29. Of course you do. You agreed with Rush Limbaugh on his Teleprompter-In-Chief "joke" too.

Who can forget when you recently posted that "Teleprompter-In-Chief" visual you borrowed from Rush Limbaugh as an OP here
because you CATTILY thought it was so "funny"?

[Captain Hilts]

32. I also agree with Robinson on this one. nt

[ClarkUSA]

33. Quelle surprise!

:eyes:

[Captain Hilts]

34. You take politics and politicians far FAR too personally. nt

[ClarkUSA]

36. lol! Pot, meet kettle.

:rofl:

[Captain Hilts]

39. If it suits your world to ignore the posts I praise Prez Obama and his policies...

fine. If it keeps you from kicking your dog, I'm all for it.

Grow up.

[ClarkUSA]

44. Now you're moving the goalposts to a strawman argument. Quelle surprise!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

12. must have been quiet at the Post Eugene?

[Beacool]

13. He happens to be correct.

When you are the US president and someone is insulting your country for a good portion of a 50 min. speech, then I expect the president to say something about it besides making a joke of it.

[cwcwmack]

19. +1 n/t

[Connie_Corleone]

20. That's how Obama usually handles those situations.

It's just his style.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

24. did you listen to all the speech?

[Beacool]

25. Yep

Why?

[ClarkUSA]

30. lol! What else is new? To you, anyone who criticizes Pres. Obama is "correct."

[Egnever]

35. +1

[mkultra]

38. yup, lockstep basher.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Beacool]

22. No, it isn't.

There's a way to command respect for oneself and one's nation without allowing someone to insult one's country without emitting an appropriate response.

His non response and little joke were lame at best.

[jenmito]

27. "Lame at best"? How about his response made him look BIGGER than Ortega (AND Chavez), getting the

PEOPLE on his side?! He doesn't HAVE to respond to someone who's not a serious threat to him or our country. Just brush it off like he did in the primaries. ;)

[HopeOverFear]

28. Ever heard of HUMILITY? America's biggest problem is that we LACK IT

We should ADMIT our mistakes, as Obama has done. He has shown HUMILITY in the face of his peers. That's why he didn't get up and leave when his country was being trashed at the summit. He may not have agreed with everything that was said, but that didn't mean he didn't listen.

[Connie_Corleone]

17. Why are some people jumping all over Robinson?

I don't agree with him, but he is hardly a tool or an idiot.

His columns are usually spot on.

[Captain Hilts]

43. Psst...you're not allowed to be critical of the president, or his policies. nt

[ClarkUSA]

49. Really? I've found that one is not allowed to be critical of Hillary or Clintonian policies here.

And I've got a very large file of bookmarked replies to prove it.

[ErinBerin84]

18. love ya Gene, but disagree with you on this one.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

21. Well that didn't take long.

I'm reminded of the Futurama episode wherein the evil professor promises to save the Earth from the asteroid if he's given tenure, is given tenure, and then runs off laughing without saving the Earth because he has tenure now.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

37. WORNSTROM!!

[ClarkUSA]

26. People are forgetting that Pres. Obama DID "slap" back when he went off his scripted speech...

.... and spoke extemporaneously about how Latin American countries need to stop blaming everything that goes wrong on the
United States. I believe this was a general response to Ortega's 50 minute polemic. When's the last time ANY popular American
president said that at the Summit of the Americas?

[DevonRex]

31. Chavez isn't the right person to slap. That has to be reserved for countries that

can actually make a noticeable impact on the US. Sure, Chavez would be an easy target. But it doesn't show strength to go after easy targets.

[Raineyb]

47. I like Mr. Robinson but he's wrong on this one. n'/t

[dionysus]

50. i first misread that as: when slapped, slap (glen) beck

:rofl:

[ecstatic]

52. Don't feed the PUMAs, Gene

It's not worth it. Trolls love stuff like this. Provides a lot of cover too.