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President 'Present'
Wall St. J ^ | March 17, 2011 | KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL

Posted on 03/17/2011 9:12:04 PM PDT by Steelfish

MARCH 18, 2011 President 'Present' Obama dodges the big decisions to keep his approval ratings up. KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL

One knock on Barack Obama in the 2008 election was his record as an Illinois state senator, where he repeatedly ducked tough issues by voting "present." It seems old habits die hard.

If you'd like to know where the leader of the free world stands on those NCAA rankings, just turn on ESPN. ("I think Kansas has more firepower," he explained as he filled out his bracket.) Wondering what the commander in chief thinks about gun laws? Don't worry—he's in favor of those already on the books, according to a recent op-ed.

If, however, you are curious about where the most powerful man in the universe stands on Libya, radiation, a possible government shutdown, the future of Social Security, or rising oil prices, don't look to the White House. Those issues are tough. Those issues risk mistakes. Those issues might mean unhappy voters. And right now, it's approval ratings the White House cares about.

Obama advisers are spinning their excuses for the president's absence (he needs to stay above the fray, he believes in international agreement). Conservatives, for their part, are beginning to argue the "incompetence" line. A combination of all is probably at work, along with an even greater impulse: political safety. Mr. Obama got a taste of falling approval ratings last year. The White House has worked hard to get those numbers back up and wants to keep them there until Mr. Obama has a GOP opponent and can go into campaign mode—where he's at his best.

And so as Moammar Gadhafi has visited a bloodbath on opposition forces, the White House has for weeks spun its wheels at the United Nations, waiting for someone else to go first.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: obama; obamaawol

1 posted on 03/17/2011 9:12:08 PM PDT by Steelfish
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To: Steelfish

I wonder how long it takes Obama to line up a putt on the course? I imagine playing behind him would be agravating.


2 posted on 03/17/2011 9:16:31 PM PDT by mlocher (Is it time to cash in before I am taxed out?)
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To: mlocher

Oh, he doesn’t take his time at all. He taps it around until it goes in and claims an ace.


3 posted on 03/17/2011 9:18:47 PM PDT by InvisibleChurch (The great American prostate exam continues.)
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To: InvisibleChurch
Oh, he doesn’t take his time at all. He taps it around until it goes in and claims an ace.

Of course you are right! He probably asks for "Gimmees" on every shot, just like a good liberal would.

4 posted on 03/17/2011 9:22:06 PM PDT by mlocher (Is it time to cash in before I am taxed out?)
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To: Steelfish
Obama is the perfect example of a dilettante:
1. an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to have knowledge.
5 posted on 03/17/2011 9:28:39 PM PDT by oldbrowser (Blaming the prince of fools shouldn't blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that elected him)
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To: Steelfish

President pissant.


6 posted on 03/17/2011 9:38:29 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand (Every knife in my back pushes me forward.)
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To: the invisib1e hand

POS president. Everything about this evil bastard is absolutely repulsive.


7 posted on 03/17/2011 9:42:43 PM PDT by unkus
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To: the invisib1e hand

President Pissant? I hope so because Pissant just got the zot and is gone, hopefully that means Obama will be gone sooner rather than later


8 posted on 03/17/2011 9:50:02 PM PDT by Bigtigermike
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To: Steelfish

9 posted on 03/17/2011 9:56:20 PM PDT by txroadkill
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To: Steelfish
"
10 posted on 03/17/2011 10:01:02 PM PDT by clearcarbon
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To: Steelfish

11 posted on 03/17/2011 10:06:05 PM PDT by McBuff
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To: Steelfish

Does being on the links, or jetting off to Riio, or other exotic places on the taxpayers dime, constitute being “present”?


12 posted on 03/17/2011 10:11:00 PM PDT by AFreeBird
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To: Bigtigermike

Say it ain’t so!


13 posted on 03/17/2011 11:44:03 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand (Every knife in my back pushes me forward.)
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To: mlocher

I yell at him to take a Mulligan and move on.


14 posted on 03/18/2011 12:16:48 AM PDT by Vendome ("Don't take life so seriously... You'll never live through it anyway")
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To: Bigtigermike

Pissant got ZOT?

When? Why?


15 posted on 03/18/2011 12:17:38 AM PDT by Vendome ("Don't take life so seriously... You'll never live through it anyway")
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To: InvisibleChurch

He cheats so much that the one time he actually did have a hole-in-one, he marked down a “zero” on his scorecard.


16 posted on 03/18/2011 1:15:59 AM PDT by Clink (Conservatives believe it when they see it. Liberals see it when they believe it.)
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To: Bigtigermike
I hope so because Pissant just got the zot and is gone

I didn't know that but it's not the first time for him.

17 posted on 03/18/2011 5:23:20 AM PDT by Graybeard58 (Of course Obama loves his country. The thing is, Sarah loves mine.)
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To: Graybeard58

Yeah but I think this was his third strike.....he aint coming back to FR, he made a vile comment about Sarah and the moderator tossed him.


18 posted on 03/18/2011 5:36:42 AM PDT by Bigtigermike
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To: Steelfish

Barack Obama.....President of Basketball Operations.


19 posted on 03/18/2011 5:40:09 AM PDT by tellw
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To: Steelfish

20 posted on 03/18/2011 6:22:50 AM PDT by KeyLargo
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