After making this hyperbolic claim about the last executive, the CNN commentator made an equally outlandish claim about the current commander-in-chief: “President Obama has done more in eight weeks than George W. Bush did in eight years -- unless you include starting a couple of wars.” He continued by labeling Obama’s critics “armchair quarterbacks.”
The commentary had a polarized rhythm to it, alternating between praise for Obama and ire for President Bush. He followed his “refreshing” comment with another blast at his Republican nemesis: “I remember many times when Bush was in office wondering who the hell was running the country. Then he would appear somewhere in front of a handpicked audience to utter some banalities or say something utterly stupid and I would be reminded. I don’t miss him.”
Later, Cafferty didn’t ignore the blunders made by President Obama and his administration in their first weeks, but made every effort to minimize them:
That’s not to say President Obama hasn’t stubbed his toe here and there. Signing that omnibus spending bill with all those earmarks in it after campaigning so hard against pork was probably a mistake. The opportunity was right there to send that bill back to Congress with a note that read, “I told you I am against earmarks and I meant it. Now do it over and send me something clean.” Nancy Pelosi’s head would have probably exploded, but the American people would have been ready to crown him king....
Better background checks on some of his appointees would have saved him some embarrassment. There’s no excuse for asking someone like Tom Daschle with his problems to do anything.
Cafferty concluded by raving about the president’s seeming calm in the midst of the country’s problems, but didn’t resort to the “sunlight” language he used a few weeks earlier. But he again couldn’t resist making a parting shot at George W. Bush:
But the point, I guess, is this: President Obama is attacking our country’s problems on several fronts. He’s got ambitious ideas on how to solve them, and he communicates a sense of calm and confidence to the rest of us as he goes about his business. Will all his ideas work? Of course not. But if you throw enough stuff at the wall, some of it will stick.
And at least I don’t go to bed at night worried that I’ll wake up in the morning to find out we’re about to invade someone.
