The President's "Politburo"...?!
As Molly points out, Bob Woodward's anticipated new book "Obama's Wars" is coming out Monday, and Roger L. Simon over at Pajama's Media has an interesting conservative take on it.
Using the New York Times piece about Woodword's book as his primary source, Simon wryly writes that the book should have been called "All the President's Creeps." Why? According to Woodward's book, the atmosphere Obama has created in the White House, Simon says, "is, well, downright creepy."
One member of the administration, National Security Advisor James L. Jones, actually called the president's aides "the Politburo."
Simon quotes the Times article:
Although the internal divisions described have become public, the book suggests that they were even more intense and disparate than previously known and offers new details. Mr. Biden called Mr. Holbrooke “the most egotistical bastard I’ve ever met.” A variety of administration officials expressed scorn for James L. Jones, the retired Marine general who is national security adviser, while he referred to some of the president’s other aides as “the water bugs” or “the Politburo.”
Simon points out that while tea partiers have certainly called Obama a socialist, "I’ve never heard any of them go nearly so far as his own national security adviser, who uses full-bore Bolshevik terminology for the staff."
- Comment (13)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (2)
Comments :
Aug '10
Re: The President's "Politburo"...?!
I'm very glad the mask is coming off. Or one could say it's an Apocalypse, a Greek word meaning a parting of the curtain.
The truth is so much better than lies. When we know the truth we can find the correct way to act.
Re: The President's "Politburo"...?!
River, I didn't know that that's what apocalypse meant! Thanks for sharing. And now that I know the word's precise meaning, I think it's the perfect descriptor for what's going on.
May '10
Re: The President's "Politburo"...?!
Emily Esfahani Smith, Ed. :
Simon points out that while tea partiers have certainly called Obama a socialist, "I’ve never heard any of them go nearly so far as his own national security adviser, who uses full-bore Bolshevik terminology for the staff." ·
This is a fun development. Although, I have heard Steyn call Obama's inner circle the Obamaklatura.
Aug '10
Re: The President's "Politburo"...?!
Emily Esfahani Smith, Ed. : River, I didn't know that that's what apocalypse meant! Thanks for sharing. And now that I know the word's precise meaning, I think it's the perfect descriptor for what's going on. · Sep 22 at 6:48am
My pleasure, Emily. I've got a lot more where that came from. These are momentous days. It's somewhat amusing and telling that modern reportage on End Times prophecies always emphasizes the gloom, doom, and violence. Fact is, for people of faith, it's a happy ending to an epic cliffhanger, the denouement of a story of unutterable complexity and scope.
Jul '10
Re: The President's "Politburo"...?!
Speaking at a congressional dinner, Rahm Emanuel said "I am a man who has been called temperamental, vindictive, foul mouthed and mean. And that's just my mom bragging". Paul Begala described him as a "cross between a hemorrhoid and a toothache". Imagine, then, the collegial atmosphere such a chief of staff inspires, especially when the situation is exacerbated by bad polling numbers. Given, the big cheese's, Obama's, lack of loyalty to anything except himself, it is no wonder that each comrade is keen to justify himself and blame the other chaps for the mess the White House finds itself in.
Re: The President's "Politburo"...?!
Ragnarok, Begala's description reminds me what Simon has to say about how Obama manages his staff:
Re: The President's "Politburo"...?!
It has been said of Rahm and his Hollywood titan brother, Ari, that they'd sell their own mother for the right price. The difference is that Rahm would deliver.
Re: The President's "Politburo"...?!
Richard Holbrooke's high opinion of himself is the stuff of legend. When the Indians learned he was made the administration's pointman on the Subcontinent, they simply rejected him out of hand.
Aug '10
Re: The President's "Politburo"...?!
Imagine what the Mets would do ? He'd probably show up with Hillary's Yankees hat !
Jun '10
Re: The President's "Politburo"...?!
We'll know they've made a full-scale adoption of Commie jargon when they call Sarah Palin a "running dog of capitalism" or subject Rush Limbaugh to a show trial for "sabotage."
May '10
Re: The President's "Politburo"...?!
Or when they start referring to the President as "Dear Leader" and bragging about his 18 straight hole-in-ones.
Jun '10
Re: The President's "Politburo"...?!
Oh, surely we should cut the administration some slack, because after all, leadership is hard:
"Do not imagine, comrades, that leadership is a pleasure. On the contrary, it is a deep and heavy responsibility. No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?"
What's the rule on use of bold and italics again?
Jul '10
Re: The President's "Politburo"...?!
Emily Esfahani Smith, Ed. :
A variety of administration officials expressed scorn for James L. Jones, the retired Marine general who is national security adviser, while he referred to some of the president’s other aides as “the water bugs” or “the Politburo.”
Simon points out that while tea partiers have certainly called Obama a socialist, "I’ve never heard any of them go nearly so far as his own national security adviser, who uses full-bore Bolshevik terminology for the staff." ·
Why the surprise? Jones has actually met them.