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In the Washington Post ???
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kimberman
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Post subject: In the Washington Post ??? Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 8:36 pm |
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Wise Elder |
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Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2005 7:48 pm Posts: 2782 Location: St. Paul
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Quote: All About Obama
I’ve refrained from commenting on President Obama’s address to the United Nations General Assembly because the speech made me angry. And most postings -- or letters, or e-mails -- written while angry are better discarded or deleted.
But this address grows more disturbing on further reading. Some major presidential speeches deserve to be remembered, quoted and celebrated. Some deserve to be forgotten. A few deserve to be remembered and criticized, because they dishonor the history of presidential rhetoric.
Obama’s rhetorical method in international contexts -- given supreme expression at the United Nations this week -- is a moral dialectic. The thesis: pre-Obama America is a nation of many flaws and failures. The antithesis: The world responds with understandable but misguided prejudice. The synthesis: Me. Me, at all costs; me, in spite of all terrors; me, however long and hard the road may be. How great a world we all should see, if only all were more like…me.
On several occasions, Obama attacked American conduct in simplistic caricatures a European diplomat might employ or applaud. He accused America of acing “unilaterally, without regard for the interests of others” -- a slander against every American ally who has made sacrifices in Iraq and Afghanistan. He argued that, “America has too often been selective in its promotion of democracy” -- which is hardly a challenge for the Obama administration, which has yet to make a priority of promoting democracy or human rights anywhere in the world.
The world, of course, has its problems, too. It has accepted “misperceptions and misinformation.” It can be guilty of a “reflexive anti-Americanism.” “Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world’s problems alone.” Translation: I know you adore me because I am better than America’s flawed past. But don’t just stand there loving me, do something.
I can recall no other major American speech in which the narcissism of a leader has been quite so pronounced. It might be compared to Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s “I shall return” -- which made it sound like MacArthur intended to reconquer the Philippines single-handedly. But MacArthur, at least, imagined himself as embodying his country, not transcending it. He did not assert that while the Japanese invasion was certainly excessive, America had been guilty of provocations of its own -- and now, in the MacArthur era, things would be finally different.
Twice in his United Nations speech, Obama dares to quote Franklin Roosevelt. I have read quite a bit of Roosevelt’s rhetoric. It is impossible to imagine him, under any circumstances, unfairly criticizing his own country in an international forum in order to make himself look better in comparison. He would have considered such a rhetorical strategy shameful -- as indeed it is.
At the United Nations, Obama set out to denigrate American goodness so he can become our rescuer. The speech had nothing to do with the confident style of Democratic rhetoric found in Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy. It insulted that tradition. And no one is likely ever to quote the speech -- except to deride it.
By Michael Gerson | September 26, 2009 http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpa ... obama.html
_________________ President of AACFI, GOCRA, CCRN, and A2A
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Dick Unger
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Post subject: Re: In the Washington Post ??? Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 7:41 am |
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Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2005 2:54 am Posts: 2444 Location: West Central MN
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Well, our foreign policy and rehtoric has been over the top for a long time. That's one of the reasons the last election went as it did. If America continues to be too insecure to acknowlege that sometimes, with the benefit of hindsight, we could have followed a different policy, we will never regain credibility.
The fact is that very few people in the world believe that the Bush administration bravado and wars were right. And even the majority of American voters have rejected it. Michael Gerson doesn't "get it", IMHO. Nothing wrong with a little humility when everyone else decides you screwed up.
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gunflint
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Post subject: Re: In the Washington Post ??? Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 8:02 am |
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Longtime Regular |
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Joined: Sat Aug 13, 2005 4:00 am Posts: 1094 Location: Duluth
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I guess we'll see who gets it after Israel attacks Iran. It'll be a whole new ball game. yet somehow I'm not comforted by the fact that no nuts obama will be our leader. Maybe we can join hands with the UN and sing Koombya that'll fix everything.
_________________ "I wish it to be remembered that I was the last man of my tribe to surrender my rifle" Sitting Bull
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kimberman
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Post subject: Re: In the Washington Post ??? Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 11:03 am |
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Wise Elder |
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Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2005 7:48 pm Posts: 2782 Location: St. Paul
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Dick Unger wrote: The fact is that very few people in the world believe that the Bush administration bravado and wars were right. Absolutely untrue.
_________________ President of AACFI, GOCRA, CCRN, and A2A
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Moby Clarke
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Post subject: Re: In the Washington Post ??? Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 2:42 pm |
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Longtime Regular |
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Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 9:09 pm Posts: 965 Location: North Minneapolis
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Other countries can believe what ever they want. The problem is that, while they sit and bitch and moan about all the problems around the world, they do nothing to solve them. When the USA is slow to act, we get ripped for not acting, then when we act, we get ripped for taking action. It has become popular to hate the US, right up until our help is needed, then we can't help soon enough or with enough money, troops, ect. Have we made mistakes, sure, but we are out there in the world doing something about "it". The rest of the "free"/"west", not so much.
_________________ It is about Liberty!
Political Correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.
Chris
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Dick Unger
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Post subject: Re: In the Washington Post ??? Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 6:05 pm |
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Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2005 2:54 am Posts: 2444 Location: West Central MN
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USA is top dog, so naturally we'll get most of the criticism. The trick is to be gracious and polite when others are not.
Our last commander in chief acted like an insecure cowboy at times. It's a hard act to follow, what else can the new commander say?
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Dick Unger
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Post subject: Re: In the Washington Post ??? Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 6:13 pm |
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Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2005 2:54 am Posts: 2444 Location: West Central MN
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kimberman wrote: Dick Unger wrote: The fact is that very few people in the world believe that the Bush administration bravado and wars were right. Absolutely untrue. Well I am not as widely traveled as you are, but I do have contact with foreign visitors, and quite a few foreign exchange students. I haven't met anyone in years that doesn't sort of roll their eyes. And when Americans are supposedl not around, it's just an inside joke. But let's all hope youu are correct...I hope I'm wrong.
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