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Barack Obama's self-confidence has a worrying flip-side
The Australian ^ | 5/26/2009 | David Nason

Posted on 05/25/2009 11:46:18 PM PDT by Aria

ADMIRAL Mike Mullen has some unusual credentials for the highest ranking military officer in the US.

The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff is the son of a Hollywood spin doctor who was press agent for some big-name movie stars in the 1960s.

Mullen says his father taught him the art of crafting a message, though it didn't seem much help at the US Naval Academy where, in 1968, he graduated 611th out of 836.

As a young lieutenant four years later, Mullen was given command of the gasoline tanker USS Noxubee. He promptly ran it into a buoy, damaging the ship's port propeller, not to mention his career prospects.

To his credit, Mullen knuckled down and made a point of saying the right thing at the right time for the next 35 years.

It paid off in 2007 when Defence Secretary Robert Gates, looking to nominate someone for the post of JCS chairman in the Bush administration, took to asking candidates about their top military concerns.

Mullen cited the strains on US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan and won the job. "He didn't start talking about a new aircraft carrier or a submarine," Mr Gates said. "He said 'the army'."

(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: narcissism; npd; obama; obamaregime; selfconfidence; speechwriter
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Obama said: "I think that I'm a better speechwriter than my speechwriters. I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I'll tell you right now that I'm gonna think I'm a better political director than my political director."

Unbelievable! no....wait...it's unfortunately believable...

1 posted on 05/25/2009 11:46:19 PM PDT by Aria
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To: Aria

The only thing that gives me hope is that Obama is stupid as well as evil.


2 posted on 05/26/2009 12:00:30 AM PDT by Arthur McGowan
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To: Aria
Obama said I think that I'm a better speechwriter than my speechwriters. I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I'll tell you right now that I'm gonna think I'm a better political director than my political director."

My God, he sounds like Jimmy Carter's (illegimate) son. I wonder if he really said something that dumb-that's the kind of rhetoric politicians usually avoid because nine time out of ten it comes back to bite you in the ass.

3 posted on 05/26/2009 12:00:50 AM PDT by Larry381 ("in the final instance civilization is always saved by a platoon of soldiers" Oswald Spengler)
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To: Aria

self confidence is a bad choice of word, its arrogance, hubris, elitism


4 posted on 05/26/2009 12:02:53 AM PDT by 4rcane
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To: Aria

Too little noted: Joe Califano’s account of how people (rubes) would come in and present their concerns to Jimmy Carter. All during their meetings, Carter would write notes on a legal pad. The moment they left the Oval Office, the pages of notes went in the wastebasket.


5 posted on 05/26/2009 12:04:41 AM PDT by Arthur McGowan
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To: Aria

Oh, and everyone in the Carter White House knew it was pointless to offer Jimmy advice, or to disagree with him, unless you wanted to get a tongue-lashing.


6 posted on 05/26/2009 12:06:22 AM PDT by Arthur McGowan
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To: 4rcane

dare we say audacity? or mendacity?


7 posted on 05/26/2009 12:09:00 AM PDT by GeronL (http://libertyfic.proboards.com for the love of something)
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To: Aria

For someone who talks about himself constantly, Obama has a shockingly low level of self-awareness. He’s deluded about himself. He has created this character called “Barack Obama,” and now he believes it represents the actual person.


8 posted on 05/26/2009 12:11:34 AM PDT by Darkwolf377
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To: Larry381; Aria

President Carter micromanaged to the point of handling the schedule for the White House tennis courts, IIRC. If Junior tries that he’ll have a stroke in six months. Remember, Mr. Carter was a nuclear submariner under Admiral Hyman Rickover, reputed to be the hardest taskmaster in U.S. military history, with the possible exceptions of Generals McArthur, Von Stueben, Patton and Pershing and Admiral Halsey.


9 posted on 05/26/2009 12:16:37 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet ("The unarmed man is not just defenseless - he is also contemptible." Machiavelli)
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To: Larry381

Yeah, kind of his version of ‘the buck stops here”, only he always passes the buck (or it’s “above his pay grade”) when he can’t emerge as perfection on something. If he’s the smartest cookie in the jar, then can we assume that he’ll take full credit, and blame, for all his decisions?


10 posted on 05/26/2009 12:26:12 AM PDT by mrsmel (Put the Gitmo terrorists near Capitol Hill.)
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To: Aria
The comments reinforced perceptions of Obama as a supremely confident President who knows what he wants and often just goes through the motions of taking advice. This ego factor first became clear in a New Yorker article last year, where the Obama campaign's political director Patrick Gaspard recounted his first conversation with the then candidate.

Obama said: "I think that I'm a better speechwriter than my speechwriters. I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I'll tell you right now that I'm gonna think I'm a better political director than my political director."

Hubris and incompetence.

It's going to be a long four years.

11 posted on 05/26/2009 12:26:55 AM PDT by snowsislander (NRA -- join today! 1-877-NRA-2000)
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To: Aria
Every generation of leftists believes that the reason Socialism did not succeed is because the wrong socialists were in charge.


12 posted on 05/26/2009 12:42:00 AM PDT by nathanbedford ("Attack, repeat, attack!" Bull Halsey)
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To: mrsmel

Sociopaths always take full credit, never take full blame except rhetorically.


13 posted on 05/26/2009 12:43:20 AM PDT by ArmstedFragg (hoaxy dopey changey)
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To: Darkwolf377

There is nothing so sad and deluded as a man who believes his own press (projected self image)


14 posted on 05/26/2009 1:02:36 AM PDT by taxcontrol
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To: taxcontrol

I actually cringe now when I hear him in ANY situation bringing up his old man who came here as an immigrant. Give it a rest, already, you got the job.


15 posted on 05/26/2009 1:17:43 AM PDT by Darkwolf377
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To: Aria
"I think that I'm a better speechwriter than my speechwriters. I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I'll tell you right now that I'm gonna think I'm a better political director than my political director."

Amazing. Anyone who has even the slightest empathy would know never to say something like that even if were true because people hate that kind of arrogance. Plus all you do when you make statements like that is paint a big fat target on yourself.

16 posted on 05/26/2009 1:29:54 AM PDT by vbmoneyspender
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To: Aria

bump


17 posted on 05/26/2009 1:36:06 AM PDT by library user
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To: Aria
Image and video hosting by TinyPic

"Make me proud, Bubula!"

18 posted on 05/26/2009 1:50:38 AM PDT by Caipirabob (Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: Aria
“I think that I'm a better speechwriter than my speechwriters. I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I'll tell you right now that I'm gonna think I'm a better political director than my political director.”

Mendacity!

19 posted on 05/26/2009 2:25:47 AM PDT by poobear
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To: poobear

Obama has done NOTHING to generate that kind of self confidence, Narcissism is the best description I believe!


20 posted on 05/26/2009 2:34:27 AM PDT by carcraft (Pray for our Country)
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