Posted on 05/27/2010 7:33:47 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
As Shawn mentioned below, the Obama press conference today was literally unbelievable. The "checkers moment" ("daddy, did you plug the hole"?) he tried to insert in the presser came after an hour of unctuous lecturing and evasion. This may have been the most disastrous presidential press news conference since Nixon's famous "I am not a crook" moment.
It's hard to imagine a Republican president getting away with the weasel words offered today by Barack Obama. The President couldn't determine if MMS head Elizabeth Birnbaum was fired or she resigned. Even the Obama bread carriers at CBS were skeptical:
Elizabeth Birnbaum's departure was first reported as a "firing." Later, a "resignation." When asked for clarity, President Obama told the press corps today he had no idea.
"Did she resign," asked CBS White House Correspondent Chip Reid. "Was she fired? Was she forced out? And if so, why?"
"I found out about her resignation today," the president answered, "so I don't know the circumstances in which this occurred."
An incredulous press corps followed up.
"How is it that you didn't know about Ms. Birnbaum's resignation/firing before?" asked another reporter.
Mr. Obama: "Well, you're assuming it was a firing. If it was a resignation, then she would have submitted a letter to Mr. Salazar this morning at a time when I had a whole bunch of other stuff going on... Come on, I don't know. I'm telling you I found out about it this morning. So I don't yet know the circumstances, and Ken Salazar has been in testimony on the Hill."
After unequivocally stating that he owned and controlled every aspect of the BP oil spill catastrophe, this President doesn't know if his own Minerals and Management Service Director, which had oversight authority of the BP, was fired or resigned? He found out about it just this morning? What we need to know, actually, is who owns Interior Secretary Ken Salazar: the President or Congress?
Then came this whopper from Fox News about the Sestak job kick back/bribe allegation that simply won't go away:
President Obama said Thursday that the White House is preparing to issue a formal explanation regarding the allegation that it offered Rep. Joe Sestak a job to drop out of the Democratic primary race against Sen. Arlen Specter.
The president, addressing the matter in public for the first time since the Pennsylvania congressman leveled the claim in February, said the statement should answer questions about the claim and insisted "nothing improper" happened.
"There will be an official response shortly on the Sestak matter," Obama said, when asked about the issue by Fox News at the president's press conference. "I mean shortly -- I don't mean weeks or months. ... I can assure the public that nothing improper took place."
This form of "I'll get back to you on that" answer is truly outrageous. Even the genuflecting hard core liberals in the White House Press Corps had trouble swallowing that command. Is there anything that this president believes he can't make happen with his ability to turn a phrase and make his listeners disabuse themselves of doubt? As Allah noted, via Breitbart:
"White House cover-up of Sestak job offer not quite finished yet."
What makes me think this inexperienced young President, a recipient of the odd combination of a nation's goodwill and racial guilt, has suddenly found himself wagering greatly on the outcome of one press conference? (That was Charles Krauthammer's point tonight on Fox News) Barak Obama did not have to hold this presser today but he did, perhaps because of a confluence of events that were bearing down on him: the Sestak matter, the BP disaster, his falling poll numbers, the looming 2010 midterms and maybe James Carville's unhinged and unguarded critique of the president this weekend. So why did he do it? And perform so poorly?
This president is not just losing the ideological battle spectacularly. He is being consumed by a tidal wave of events that only an experienced executive can effectively manage. In short, he's in over his head and we will suffer the consequences.
Where can I get one of those bumper stickers?
NBC managed to report on the press conference without showing a single reporter. PBS did a decent job.
0bama wants Americans to vacation on the Gulf Coast, yet he is going to spend his vacation in Chicago. Speaking of which, it is very curious why, after 16 months away, he wants to spend a whole weekend in Chicago. I think he may be having a special chat with the judge in the Blago trial that starts Wednesday. 0bama will succeed in totally screwing up air traffic in/out of O’Hare. He flies into O’Hare on Thursday, then flies out on Friday to New Orleans and coming back later in the day. Nothing like having O’Hare shut down twice on the Friday in front of a three-day weekend. Also, since his house in the city, automobile traffic in the city will be a mess with the road closures from Obama driving off to his favorite restaurants. Now, the word is that he is going to the Chicago Blackhawk Stanley Cup game on Monday (more important than attending ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetary. I doubt he knows the first thing about the game). Traffic around the United Center is a nightmare on any game day; now, it will be gridlock. It is good to be king.
What a THREAT to the country. Today's presser frightened me more than ever. His total incompetence is going to damage us greatly, and I pray we can recover from this dangerous fraud.
guys is queered.
He got a lump in his pol....
Well he helped Bill Ayers manage an Annenberg education fund, and he helped Tony Rezko manage some housing projects, and he only lost a few hundred $Million between the two. That’s not so bad, is it?
Huh? Sorry, Barry wasn’t paying any no mind, to your question.
What was the question???????????
Uh, duhhhh, since you didn't get a letter of resignation the assumption that she was fired was a fairly safe one. This guy is a dunce without a prepared script.
Great! They have their leader...
Are you serious? He takes a crap everyday. That is a heck of a decision when you have people looking over your shoulder or at your ????
He never did that either. He was hired help for a few weeks one summer at a Baskin Robbins. Ten to one he had his fingers in the till too.
At least there were no telepromopters. It makes me dizzy watching his head swivel when he’s using a teleprompter.
Print it. I did.
It makes him seem like he's taking direction for a youngster.
A sarcastic joke. However, it did raise thoughts of possibility didn’t it?
His poll numbers did not go up... you are being lied to... by everyone.
LLS
The Press is just about as useless as one of Michelle Obama’s boob belts.
Just click on the image.
Actually, there were teleprompters...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.