Anyway, if you need a ready emetic, try giving a read to our pal Liz Sidoti's doting portrayal of President Obama as a "no jitters" expert that is "extraordinarily at ease" sitting in the big chair. He's a fellow that has mastered the office even though he has "youth and inexperience," and he's confident "almost to a fault." Obama is the greatest story ever told as far as Liz is concerned... and after only four short months in office to boot.
But, wait. There's more puke-inspiring sycophancies yet to come...read on if you dare.
It's hard to believe how absurdly over-the-top this AP report is, but there is no end to the lionization of a still very wet-behind-the-ears president that has yet to see the challenges that will truly prove his mettle. Yet, if one were to read this AP piece, one would surely come to the conclusion that this is the most wildly successful president ever in our history -- even though he's barely taken office.
I won't bother you with the "specifics" of this piece of dreck, but I will relate a list of the laudatory words and phrases used in this piece of... I mean piece. The sheer number of them is mind boggling. We even get another one of those ubiquitous "experts" to agree with ol' Liz that Obama is the bestest prez evah.
- It didn't take long for Barack Obama -- for all his youth and inexperience -- to get acclimated to his new role as the calming leader of a country in crisis.
- "I feel surprisingly comfortable in the job," the nation's 44th president said a mere two weeks after taking the helm.
- Obama has applied the same "no drama" leadership
- As a fledgling president, he similarly has mapped out a big-risk agenda that he's methodically begun to execute, keeping to the discipline that has been a hallmark of his life.
- Rookie jitters? Far from it.
- Confident almost to a fault
- exhibiting few flashes of any off-putting, self-important tone
- he's reached the pinnacle
- Obama has seemed extraordinarily at ease
- (And here's that "expect")"He became presidential almost immediately. Physically as well as rhetorically he transformed himself," said American University professor James Thurber, an expert on the presidency. He said Obama had little choice but to dive in and start governing, given the full plate of issues. But, Thurber added, "He also did it with real skill and confidence that you wouldn't necessarily expect from someone who just walked in the door."
- Obama has spoken in firm, yet soothing tones
- Sometimes he has used a just-folks approach
- He also has steamed with anger
- He has shown contriteness
- He also has let it be known he hasn't forgotten how politics works
- Stylistically, this is a careful president who uses a teleprompter even during news conferences and presides over a White House that scripts his public appearances
- a strong, ethical leader
- Mindful of Obama's high popularity and, thus, the media's hunger for any details about him and his family, the White House has gone to great lengths to make sure he's visible.
- People don't seem to mind all that exposure
- Overall, Obama seems unflappable
- He made a string of comments that were, to some extent, joking and self deprecating, almost as if he didn't take the hubbub around his candidacy too seriously
Sickening, isn't it?
But the main point here is that the AP has deemed him a great success after just four short months. This is the most absurd thing about the media fawning that Obama has seen bestowed so lovingly upon him. How do we deem a president such a success in so short a time? Should we jump to that conclusion so quickly, before he's even really seen all that he will see as president? Is it so impossible to realize that he could become the greatest flop since Bill Clinton whose final analysis was that he was one that "never wasted so much potential" in office even as the press lionized him for most of his eight years?
Sure we can say that he may rank as one of the best when all is said and done. But the singular fact is, we do not know and cannot know how his term(s) will turn out. It is stupid, just plain stupid, for the AP to be publishing stories pronouncing Obama's success only four months into office. Not only is it stupid, but it is dishonest and even harmful. And it certainly is little else but propoganda.
Finally, let me contrast this a bit with how the Old Media treated George W. Bush in his first few months in office. He never got a "honeymoon." From the second he stepped into the White House and began having success after success with his pre-9/11 agenda, the media tsk-tsked him because he had "no mandate" due to his close election. The media had not one second of praise for his successes until 9/11. And then they gave him about 15 minutes of relief before starting back in on him again.
Obama may end up the best of the best (though I certainly doubt he will) but that will be a determination that can only be made as he ends his days in office. At this point and time, however, he is a neophyte that has yet to show any signs of his eventual status. He is a man that has not yet begun to prove his worth to the country and posterity.
Anyone that says he is already a "success" is either a fool or a propagandist. You decide which Liz Sidoti happens to be.
