Tina Brown: Obama Might Have 'Worst Inbox Of Any President In History'

his in box is so bad because his out box is so horrific

He’ll check it as soon as he clears this level of Angry Birds.

People should remember that for liberals, history began yesterday. Or today. They have little or no grasp of the difficulties faced by previous generations and leaders. They’re like the perpetually upset teenager who wails because his or her friends all have the latest gadget and he or she is forced to subsist on something invented a long time ago...like maybe two or three years ago. Their lives are horrible because they don’t have gadget X. Libs are the same way. Anything older than two or three years is beyond their ken.

The worst inbox? Try these:

George Washington - Leader of an insignificant newly independent state in a world of empires (Britain, France, Spain) all with designs on the new nation’s territory. Plus, as first leader of the new republic he had to set the tone for how the office would be administered. Presided over extremely partisan politics at home.

John Adams - Unlucky enough to follow the popular Washington. Had to deal with domestic politics that make the current divide look between Republicans and Democrats look like a cakewalk while keeping out of a war with Great Britain.

James Madison - British invasion of the US homeland including the burning of Washington. Could have been the end of the revolution of 1776.

Abraham Lincoln — Presided over a Civil War and endured many political backstabbers in his own party while trying to save the Union.

Franklin Roosevelt — The Great Depression and fighting wars in both Europe and Asia.

Harry Truman — Decision to end WWII with nuclear weapons. Threat of nuclear war with Russia over Berlin and North Korea. He also dealt with the insubordination of a very popular senior military official (McArthur) and took the political heat for firing him.

LBJ - Fighting Vietnam War and Cold War while dealing with race riots in US cities as well as the leftist peace movement.

Ronald Reagan — Inherited a terrible domestic economy (on the order of today’s economy without the crushing debt), a decimated and demoralized military, Congress dominated by the opposing party, lukewarm support to opposition for his policies inside his own party including his VP, an assassination attempt, and on the international front the potential of the dying Soviet Empire to bring the world to war while it tried to remain relevant.

Perhaps apologists for Obama such as Ms Brown should consider:
1) The office is voluntary. He ran for it, knowing what he was facing.
2) As illustrated above many Presidents faced similar and perhaps greater challenges.
3) The real measure of the man is not the adversity he faced but the manner in which he overcame the challenges in front of him. No “A’s for effort” when you are CEO of a nation or any other organization. You may be able to get away with voting “present” 150 times in the Illinois legislature. The leader of the largest economy and military power on the planet does not get to just vote “present” when crises occur no matter how full his inbox.
4) If the inbox is really too full for him to handle he should resign from office and let someone else attempt to rise to the challenge.

So far Obama can best be defined by the saying, “When you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.” As a result, he is at best viewed as ineffective and worst case as a bumbling idiot.

All of the great Presidents have shown courage and vision in the face of adversity. I doubt Obama has ever demonstrated courage at any point in his life. Without conviction and courage, one cannot be a leader.

Obama’s behavior in office is the same as many beneficiaries of affirmative action in the business world. People promoted into positions of responsibility for which they are either unprepared to take or or unable to handle tend to compensate by - 1) blaming others, 2) focusing on inconsequential things, 3) shifting responsibility to other people or institutions, 4) abdicating and checking out. No matter what they seem unable to take ownership of the consequences of their actions or inaction.

We see the same traits with Obama. 1) He blames Bush and the Republicans for every real or perceived ill. 2) He goes on national TV to share his NCAA pairings or joins his wife in a PR display about “bullying” while the Middle East erupts into Civil War, Japan is undergoing a nuclear catastrophe and Congress is going through a budget crisis. 3) The greedy wealthy not paying enough in taxes is the cause of his budget deficits. 4) For a leader with a full plate he spends significant time on personal indulgences instead of the affairs of state. The frequent vacations, the frequent White House celebrity parties, the golf outings and the basketball games. He checks out to enjoy the trapping of office instead of working on the issues.

We will never hear from Barack Obama the words “The buck stops here”. The concept of personal responsibility is not one he comprehends or accepts. Fortunately for our nation in earlier times, most other Presidents confronted with full plates have confronted the challenges before them and accepted responsibility for their actions. It is unfortunate many pundits are blinded by political correctness and continue to make excuses for the man’s failures when they should be holding him accountable.

No you idiot, he's had to suffer 10x more b/c the country is racist and really put's him under a pressure. Nothing compares to him. He will be looked upon as the greatest President in the history of the United States. No one has brought the country togethe.... um, no one has care for our allies.... um, no one has worked so tireles... um. HE'S GOING TO BE GREAT! /sarcasm

In that case, we might as well give him a Nobel Prize now. No need to wait and see if he actually fulfills his destiny.

Maybe that's why Obama is doing nothing in the face of the Middle East turmoil. He got a Nobel Peace Prize once for doing nothing. Maybe he thinks he can get another one for doing nothing.

Of course, it has never been awarded twice to the same individual, but he could be the first...just as he was the first to get it for absolutely no accomplishments.

I believe Tina Brown is the one who took over The New Yorker and changed it from a partisan left-wing quality magazine into a partisan left-wing vulgar magazine. In the old days at least it had funny cartoons.

Excellent post. I would add that GW Bush had to confront the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor, that he sent American soldiers to war on two fronts, one of which became incredibly unpopular, yet he persisted and was ultimately vindicated.