Posted on 09/16/2008 3:50:52 PM PDT by Petronski
At least Obama is smart enough to learn to read classical Greek in a few months, if he put his mind to it. Not Biden, however, it’s all he can do to keep English straight.
He never popped in on the Straussian seminars at Chicago? Still, you have to wonder about this global messiah stuff, healing the planet, etc. That seems almost New Age. And then Alinsky's Lucifer dedication. You know, what's that all about???
It hasn't received much scrutiny from the MSM or the Platonic elite. Are they just trying to hide his gnosticism for him until the time is right?
And we know that ... how?
Indeed! His comments took me by surprise.
When he begins to read it from his teleprompter.
Ah, I see ... it’s an assumption based on his myriad high intellectual achievements up to this point ...
What languages does Mr. Obama know, other than English?
I listen to Laura 6am every morning. It sounds like you have missed most of her programs in recent months.
She is in the top 5 for most listened
More conservative than most.
Both Brooks and Gerson are about as conservative as they can handle at the Slimes. Give the Washington Post props for carrying George Will and Charles Krauthammer.
The bad news is McCain buys into the Brooks and Gerson version. Did any of you hear the rhetoric from the McCain camp on the economic "crisis?" Saw Carly Fiorina talking about McCain's belief in a "robust" government. I guess they have to do that at this moment. However, freeper brand of conservatism is in serious trouble no matter whom we elect. I am aboard the McCain-Palin Express. However, I am very aware of the eventual destination.
“Obama is smart enough to read classical Greek in a few months IF he put his mind to it.”
Is he too freekin dumb to do it quicker “if he put his mind to it”?
Why did he address the beer hounds of Berlin in English for gosh sakes?
Exactly - she's a leader because people recognize her strengths and are willing to follow her. Many profess to be leaders, and yet have no followers (Obambi comes to mind, and I believe him to be a follower himself).
Good post - especially your examples of leadership vs. management. I wouldn't even call Slick's response "managing" - I'd call it CYA.
Oh, Obama is quite a bright fellow at book-learning. Greek would be right up his alley.
It is common sense, wisdom, and practical knowledge that he is lacking in.
Can we start a scholarship fund to send him back to college?
You say that, but what's the evidence? Do we have his SAT scores, his undergraduate transcript, his LSAT scores, his law school grades, etc.? I'm not seeing a great fund of general knowledge from this guy. For example, what languages does he know? My six-year-old is in the throes of Greek (New Testament Greek, because that's what you can find a workbook for at this age) and Spanish, and French.
Classical Attic Greek is a very difficult language.
Each verb has 6 principal parts that can produce over 500 different forms. The syntax is also quite difficult to master, espcially in complex prose like Plato. About three months of memorizing grammar and vocabulary, with four hours a day minimum, is about the least it would take to stumble through a simple dialogue like The Crito, which is usually what they use as a beginner’s text.
I know you were looking for more, but that's where my "teleprompter" statement came from. I really don't think he has a grasp of much of anything else - certainly not science or economics.
My honest opinion of him is that he's the tool of someone else - someone with some money and with a motivation that is counter to the free enterprise system that has helped make this country great.
I see something of the points both of you are trying to make. I’m just considering, as the discussion develops, what evidence we have that Barack Obama is more than average smart, as we generally measure these things in terms of grades, test scores, or specific accomplishments such as learning Greek, which I find pretty easy because it’s surprisingly similar to Spanish, as was Japanese.
Yes, and what is preposterous is that Brooks is discussing Palin as though she is running for President rather than for VP as part of a TEAM with a highly experienced Presidential candidate (whatever one thinks of some of his particular views). Also, it is ludicrous to have this discussion absent the context of Obambi heading up the other ticket. Sure, in a perfect world one would want a candidate with all sorts of experiences that NONE of the current candidates combine in one package. But, when the alternative to Palin as VP with McCain as President is the utterly naive, ignorant, shallow, and yes “inexperienced” Obama as President, then the discussion of Governor Palin should look very different. McCain/Palin are not running against some highly experienced and fabulously expert Presidential candidate on the other ticket; Obama is just about the most inexperienced and scary Presidential candidate on a major party ticket in the past century.
To criticize Palin as thoroughly as Brooks does without any intelligent comparisons to the only alternative in this election is reckless, dishonest, and irresponsible.
Is Brooks a closet Democrat? He sure acts like one.
Maybe Charlie Gibson could quiz him on Plato's doctrine of μέθεξις in his next interview. They could both get together on the theory of Forms.
There are certain similarities between Obama's ideas and the theory of Communism outlined in The Republic.
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