The president who is uninterested in other people

The Washington Examiner ^ | August 31, 2014 | Michael Barone

[2ndDivisionVet]

Ouch.

[ilgipper]

Obama is also known to have frosty relations with most foreign leaders. He used to claim to be close to Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan. That hasn’t prevented Erdogan from sidling up to the Muslim Brotherhood and exhibiting blatant anti-semitism.

Mr. Barone. This most likely is the very reason their relationship blossomed.

[Flag_This]

"The seemingly aloof Ronald Reagan..."

Wait... what?

[1035rep]

"The seemingly aloof Ronald Reagan developed his capacity to understand negotiating partners, as his definitive biographer Lou Cannon made clear, when he was president of the Screen Actors Guild negotiating with studio bosses."

[TigersEye]

Pathological narcissist.

[2111USMC]

Me thinks Mr. Barone is soon to be audited by the IRS.

[SevenofNine]

I not surprise about President Reagan I hear that before he seem aloof or shy dude

President Obama he is one vain dude

[antidisestablishment]

Everyone knows Reagan was not personable at all. His mean-spirited narcissism drove everyone away.

Obviously, the One is just too smart to associate with or even contemplate mere mortals. The fact that he blesses a room (or golf course) with his presence should be enough reward.

[vbmoneyspender]

As for George H. W. Bush, just about everyone now recognizes the brilliance of his diplomacy in response to the invasion of Iraq and the breakup of the Soviet Union.

I call BS on the Soviet Union part. Bush Sr. actually tried to keep the Soviet Union together when it started falling apart. Preserving the status quo was a more important principle to him than helping people liberate themselves from communist thugs.

[arthurus]

That hasn’t prevented Erdogan from sidling up to the Muslim Brotherhood and exhibiting blatant anti-semitism.

Erdogan and the Sultan in Washington share goals and attitudes here.

[2ndDivisionVet]

MI5, MI6 and the predecessors of the CIA & CFR spent a lot of good money putting Lenin into office, why would they scotch that deal?

[doc11355]

"Pathological narcissist."

Bill Clinton and Rudy Giuliani succeeded in large part because they were curious about other people different from themselves. Barack Obama prefers to look in the mirror.

[Vermont Lt]

Reagan was a great man. But make no mistake, he no more wanted to hang out with the little people than Obama does. BUT, he understood the average American and the dreams and aspirations of real people.

That was OK with me because Nancy seemed like a stuck up snob. I wouldn’t want them over for dinner. But as the leader of the free world they simply exuded power, confidence, and the concept of American exceptional ism.

[Southack]

Lenin was from Germany’s WW1 Intelligence agency. His revolution took Russia, Britain’s ally, out of the war.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Keep digging.

[nascarnation]

I think his next career goal is Grand Caliph of ISIS.
Maybe Baraq can take a Dale Carnegie course or similar before the interviews....

[steve86]

If you were in a room with Rudy Giuliani, he would discover the one issue out of 100 on which you disagreed

I couldn't possibly agree on more than 50% of issues with ANY New Yorker, starting with adultery on the disagree list.

[Sparklite]

“I call BS on the Soviet Union part. Bush Sr. actually tried to keep the Soviet Union together when it started falling apart. Preserving the status quo was a more important principle to him than helping people liberate themselves from communist thugs. “

Maybe he got that from the Pope’s elevation of security (peace) over (other people’s) freedom. It’s the same philosophy of appeasement.

[Flag_This]

"Reagan was a great man. But make no mistake, he no more wanted to hang out with the little people than Obama does."

I've just never seen "aloof" ascribed to Reagan; Obama, sure, but for Reagan it seemed an odd word choice.

[driftless2]

Yes, King Barack is a narcissistic, arrogant jerk. What else is new?