The Truth Will Out (Itself)!
It seems that an “internal review” by the incoming Obama Administration has concluded that the incoming Obama Administration wasn’t involved — no way, no how — with any of disgraced Democratic Illinois governor and political albatross Rod Blagojevich’s shady dealings. Phew! Thank goodness we’ve got that cleared up!
In other news, Bush Administration officials have produced an internal review that shows that the Bush Administration had absolutely zero knowledge of torture during interrogations of suspected terrorists, the ghost of Franklin Roosevelt produced an internal report proving that the Roosevelt Administration didn’t know about the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and Bill Clinton maintains that he didn’t inhale.
Is this something that will actually happen, or something you hope happens.
I honestly don’t care much one way or another. I really dislike his hardcore followers and I didn’t vote for the guy, but I’m willing to give him a fair shake. He obviously hasn’t done much besides appoint cabinet members so far, most of whom seem like safe and uncontroversial choices. The only thing he’s done that I find disgusting is drafting this Rick Warren fellow for the inauguration. But that’s a completely symbolic gesture and has nothing to do with policy, so it’s hard to get too worked up about it (even if I do more or less share Hitchens’ low opinion of Warren).
And for clarity
Yes, the report is a joke. But! It gives the teevee channels something to talk about for the next two days.
However:
“As the list of people who Obama ‘misjudged’ or ‘is disappointed with’ or whatever grows longer and longer, voters are going to stop believing him when he clumsily waves his clean hands around in front of the cameras.”
I wonder: Is this something that will actually happen, or something you hope happens.
I’m also curious to know in what way Obama’s list of people he “misjudged” is any longer or more serious than any other politician who has ever lived.
And for clarity’s sake, Obama never “misjudged” Blagojevich. By all accounts, Obama always thought this one guy — this one guy he was forced to deal with on account of this one guy being the governor of the same state Obama represented in the U.S. Senate — was a monumental scumdouche and political liability. Everybody in Springfield knew the phones were tapped, that the feds were investigating. Is it so shocking that Emmanuel or Obama had, you know, phone conversations with this guy?
As for Ayers and Wright: Seriously? It’s a little cold for July, don’t you think? Didn’t this manufactured shitstorm pass during the summer, with the majority of people giving a long, drawn-out “meh”?
I’m no Obama fanatic, clearly, but I just don’t get the hand wringing. If anyone deserves mocking it’s the media.
There
Yeah. I don’t think it really does him a lot of good. The only people who’re going to put much stock in this report are the true believers who think Obama can do no wrong anyways.
Everyone else is going to be unimpressed by a self-released report that exonerates Team Obama of all wrongdoing. I think there’s going ot be some skepticism, too, because of Obama’s ludicrous denial of knowledge about the backgrounds and beliefs of some of his other personal and political allies like William Ayers and Jeremiah Wright.
There’s only so many times Obama can say “I had no idea about (insert erstwhile personal friend or political ally)’s beliefs and I obviously condemn his (insert politically embarrassing words or actions) in the strongest terms.”
As the list of people who Obama “misjudged” or “is disappointed with” or whatever grows longer and longer, voters are going to stop believing him when he clumsily waves his clean hands around in front of the cameras.
I agree. A very strange way to do it….
Oh, I’m sure Obama’s team – and certainly Obama himself – are more or less clean in this case.
I just think it’s a bit silly that we’re supposed to take this “internal review” that – surprise surprise! – finds no evidence of wrongdoing as any sort of final word on this. I can just picture how it went:
Obama: Hey Rahm, did you talk about anything you shouldn’t have with Rod?
Rahm Emmanuel: Nah, man. It’s all good, I swear.
Obama: Yeah, same here. Well, if you say you’re clean I’m satisfied that there was no wrongdoing.
Isn’t that whole line of thinking just guilt by association? : )