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Rookie Errors Mar Obama's Efforts So Far
IBD Editorials ^ | March 30, 2009 | Thomas Sowell

Posted on 03/30/2009 6:23:47 PM PDT by Kaslin

Someone once said that, for every rookie you have on your starting team in the National Football League, you will lose a game. Somewhere, at some time during the season, a rookie will make a mistake that will cost you a game.

We now have a rookie president of the United States and, in the dangerous world we live in, with terrorist nations going nuclear, just one rookie mistake can bring disaster down on this generation and generations yet to come.

Barack Obama is a rookie in a sense that few other presidents in American history have ever been. It is not just that he has never been president before. He has never had any position of major executive responsibility in any kind of organization where he was personally responsible for the outcome.

Other first-term presidents have been governors, generals, Cabinet members or others in positions of personal responsibility. A few have been senators, like Barack Obama, but usually for longer than Obama, and had not spent half their few years in the Senate running for president.

What is even worse than making mistakes is having sycophants telling you that you are doing fine when you are not. In addition to all the usual hangers-on and supplicants for government favors that every president has, Barack Obama has a media that will see no evil, hear no evil and certainly speak no evil.

(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial
KEYWORDS: sowell; thomassowell; tsbo
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As usual Thomas Sowell hit the nail square on the head
1 posted on 03/30/2009 6:23:47 PM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

A kid working at McDonald’s has produced more wealth and understands business better than the empty suit. It’s an insane world when the media successfully hanged the word ‘inexperience’ upon the GOP VP candidate, when the main democrat is more inexperienced than just about anyone.


2 posted on 03/30/2009 6:28:25 PM PDT by kenth (Obama - One Big Ass Mistake, America)
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To: Kaslin
As usual Thomas Sowell hit the nail square on the head

He sure is. Obama will always be a rookie, in that, he will never learn to be a leader, nor anything else. All he has is hope, and hope gets you nothing, unless you have the brains to do more than just hope, which O doesn't.

3 posted on 03/30/2009 6:28:47 PM PDT by Jaidyn
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To: Kaslin

This whole administration reminds me of the Kucinich fiasco here in Cleveland back in the 70s . . . total incompetents, childish, ignorant, amateurish, unprofessional, kids, totally out of touch with reality, dangerous, and stupid, right from the top down. What a gaggle of goof balls, and we have them in, of all places, the White House!!!! Just incredible!

Somebody in the Dummycrat Party has GOT TO BE EMBARRASSED AND ASHAMED!!!!!


4 posted on 03/30/2009 6:38:36 PM PDT by laweeks
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To: Kaslin

‘The Entourage Presidency.’

This guy is such a piker.


5 posted on 03/30/2009 6:38:53 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: Kaslin

“As usual Thomas Sowell hit the nail square on the head”

Almost. What I don’t agree with is the idea it’s a series of “rookie errors.” I think he is far more in control of his agenda than we want to believe. I maintain the amount of frenzy we’re seeing on the political and economic fronts is designed to keep the common rubes’ little minds busy with the movements of one hand, while the dark and nefarious stuff is done by the other, unseen hand.


6 posted on 03/30/2009 6:47:35 PM PDT by ScottinVA (Christian and armed)
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To: Kaslin
it is not just that he has never been president before. He has never had any position of major executive responsibility in any kind of organization where he was personally responsible for the outcome.

FWIW, exactly the same could be said of Mr. Lincoln. Prior to being elected president, he'd never run any organization other than a couple of comprehensively failed business ventures in his youth.

It is generally admitted, even by those who despise him, that he is the most effective politician in American history.

7 posted on 03/30/2009 6:48:13 PM PDT by Sherman Logan (Everyone has a right to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.)
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To: laweeks
. total incompetents, childish, ignorant, amateurish, unprofessional, kids, totally out of touch with reality, dangerous, and stupid, right from the top down. What a gaggle of goof balls, and we have them in, of all places, the White House!!!! Just incredible!

Reminds me of that 70's (?) author who spoke about "The Peter Principle", which if I can remember correctly had something to do with "the most incompetent will rise to the top" or something like that......

8 posted on 03/30/2009 6:48:16 PM PDT by China Clipper (My favorite animals usually are found next to the rice on my plate.)
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To: Kaslin
Obama voted for the TARP - it failed. He pushed auto bailout for GM - it failed. He pushed his stimulus plan - the economy continues to fail.

He should be ashamed of himself. He needs to resign and return his income since taking the job.....or have it taxed at 90%.

9 posted on 03/30/2009 6:54:12 PM PDT by anniegetyourgun
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To: Kaslin
Sowell just tells it like it is.

Obama's a real rookie and makes rookie mistakes-check.

Obama reassured Iran we will not oppose their nuclear ambitions in the State of the Union speech-check.

Obama is making a mistake by snubbing our allies-check.

Obama's first call was to Hamas. I had not heard this. I thought it was to Fatah.

10 posted on 03/30/2009 6:54:47 PM PDT by TheThinker (Even though Obama is President, I'm more American than that impostor will ever be.)
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To: Jaidyn

The Emperor Has No Brain.


11 posted on 03/30/2009 6:55:00 PM PDT by Misterioso (Obama was elected not in spite of his color but because of it.)
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To: Kaslin
Someone once said that, for every rookie you have on your starting team in the National Football League, you will lose a game. Somewhere, at some time during the season, a rookie will make a mistake that will cost you a game.

And with the veteran players being the likes of Biden and Hillary, the executive branch is now the equivalent of the Detroit Lions.

12 posted on 03/30/2009 6:57:00 PM PDT by SirJohnBarleycorn
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To: Kaslin
Barack Obama is a rookie in a sense that few other presidents in American history have ever been.

The kid on our paper route has more business experience than O'Bambi.

13 posted on 03/30/2009 7:01:20 PM PDT by Don Corleone (Leave the gun..take the cannoli now reads "Oil the gun..eat the cannolis.")
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To: Sherman Logan
Obama is no Lincoln. Lincoln was a natural born citizen, born in Kentucky. Obama never even tried to start a business. He didn't need to. There was always someone to take care of him and pick up the tab and ensure his success.

Lincoln loved his country and wouldn't marry someone who didn't. Lincoln didn't need ACORN to get elected. Lincoln wasn't beholden to money interests like George Soros.

Lincoln wanted to preserve the Union. Obama wants to preserve his position as he continues to campaign for the job he just got.

14 posted on 03/30/2009 7:02:05 PM PDT by TheThinker (Even though Obama is President, I'm more American than that impostor will ever be.)
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To: Misterioso
The Emperor Has No Brain.

I like that. The Emporer Has No Brain would make a nice bumper sticker.

15 posted on 03/30/2009 7:03:52 PM PDT by Jaidyn
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To: China Clipper

Wrong.

The Peter Principle theorizes that a person will rise to one level above his competence, whereupon his failings are detected and he rises no further.

Obama has shot that theory down by showing that you can rise to many levels above your competency


16 posted on 03/30/2009 7:05:18 PM PDT by oldbill
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To: ScottinVA

But you know what? The more Americans that view Obama as incompetent the better. Diminish his popularity and he becomes easier to take down. It might be easier to convince people that he will allow the country to fall to tryranny because of his stupidity rather than by design.


17 posted on 03/30/2009 7:05:26 PM PDT by TheThinker (Even though Obama is President, I'm more American than that impostor will ever be.)
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To: SirJohnBarleycorn
That is an affront to the Detroit Lions. They may have the worst record in the NFL, but they didn't get to the NFL without being the best in their high school, the best in their state and the best in their college...they have shown skill at every level until they got to the NFL. I don't even like professional football, but I understand that to get to that level of playing requires great skill and fortitude. Biden and Hilary and Obama aren't even up to washing the uniforms of the Detroit Lions.
18 posted on 03/30/2009 7:07:01 PM PDT by madinmadtown (It is good to be right.)
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To: China Clipper

Actually it’s, “In a Hierarchy Every Employee Tends to Rise to His Level of Incompetence.”

I have seen it, taught about it, and personally experienced it. His survival comes from those who prop him up and hide the truth from the masses.


19 posted on 03/30/2009 7:07:34 PM PDT by Gator113 (For America to Survive, Obama Must Fail..... Obama=Failure in Chief with the Audacity of Dope.....)
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To: TheThinker

I’m not fan of Obama, while I am a fan of Lincoln.

I was merely pointing out Lincoln’s remarkable lack of executive experience prior to being elected. Despite being considerably older, he had little or no more executive experience than Obama. Nevertheless, he proved to be a consummately effective Chief Executive, to the point that I believe if anybody else had been president at the time secession would have worked.

This doesn’t mean I think Obama is another Lincoln. It means that our rating of people, such as Lincoln, Obama and Palin, on their “experience” is not necessarily an indication of how well they will perform once in office.


20 posted on 03/30/2009 7:07:52 PM PDT by Sherman Logan (Everyone has a right to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.)
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