can he walk and chew gum?
By American Girl in Italy on March 11, 2009 at 5:00 PM in Barack Obama, Current Affairs, Daily Show, Hillary Clinton, John McCain
“It was September 2008 when then-Sen. Barack Obama, making light of Sen. John McCain’s suspension of his campaign to deal with the economic crisis, said that, as his campaign put it, a president should be able to “walk and chew gum at the same time” But with the now-president taking on issue after issue after issue, some critics and members of the media are wondering if this president thinks he can walk and chew gum and ride a bike and juggle and read a magazine and play with his daughters and take a nap at the same time.” ~Tapper
Obama does indeed have a lot on his plate. According to the White House, Mr Obama and his staff have been “overwhelmed” by the economic meltdown and have voiced concerns that the new president is not getting enough rest. Obama is so concerned with domestic issues, that he had little time for foreign matters. (so, does that mean he can’t walk, and chew gum at the same time?)
“Sources close to the White House say Mr Obama and his staff have been “overwhelmed” by the economic meltdown and have voiced concerns that the new president is not getting enough rest.”
“Allies of Mr Obama say his weary appearance in the Oval Office with Mr Brown illustrates the strain he is now under, and the president’s surprise at the sheer volume of business that crosses his desk.”
“The one real serious flaw I see in Barack Obama is that he thinks he can manage all this,” the well-known figure told a Washington official, who spoke to this newspaper. “He’s underestimating the flood of things that will hit his desk.” A Democratic strategist, who is friends with several senior White House aides, revealed that the president has regularly appeared worn out and drawn during evening work sessions with senior staff in the West Wing and has been forced to make decisions more quickly than he is comfortable.”
“People say he looks tired more often than they’re used to,” the strategist said. “He’s still calm, but there have been flashes of irritation when he thinks he’s being pushed to make a decision sooner than he wants to make it. He looks like he needs a cigarette.”
Hillary, after Obama complained how tough their abc news debate had been, tried to warn him (and the voters) about the pressures of the job.
“Having been inside the White House, I know the pressures inside the White House, I know how hard it is every single day,” Clinton said. “When the going gets tough you can’t run away. Being asked tough questions in a debate is nothing like the pressures you face inside the White House.”
Heck, even George Bush said, “…that Sen. Hillary Clinton’s experience as first lady has prepared her to handle the “pressure” of a presidential race and the White House.” “No question, there is no question that Sen. Clinton understands pressure better than any of the candidates, you know, in the race,” the president said at an interview with ABC News
“When the going gets tough you can’t run away. And it’s going to be tough going to deal with these hard problems; getting out of Iraq in the right way, turning the economy around, getting universal health care, ending our dependence on foreign oil. The special interests are going to be a lot tougher than 90 minutes of questions from two journalists and we need a president who is going to be up there fighting everyday for the American people and not complain about how much pressure there is, and how hard the questions are.”
I think we all remember how Obama responded to Hillary.
Perhaps he should have spent a little more time thinking about what she said, and about all the pressures of the White House, instead of acting so flippant and juvenile?
This really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone though. Obama was already showing his fatigue back in May 2007. It wasn’t much later that reports were surfacing that Obama was bored.
“There are going to be times when I get tired,” he told the crowd. “There are going to be times when I get weary. There are going to be times when I make mistakes.” The admission on Tuesday night was refreshingly honest. But it has fuelled fears among Obama supporters that the man hailed as a new John F Kennedy might not have the stamina needed to survive a campaign of unprecedented intensity.
Aides to Mrs Clinton believe that they might have identified Mr Obama’s Achilles heel and that he will make more serious mistakes as the pressure builds. “Hillary has enormous self-discipline,” said a Democratic official who supports the New York senator.
“She has been through nasty, gruelling national campaigns with Bill and she has a laser-like focus. It’s all very well being the candidate of hope and a fresh face but you have to be able to perform day in, day out and deliver – not just during the campaign but in the White House. Obama has never had a really tough election race in his life. He’s cruised into the Senate and it’s becoming apparent he might not have what it takes for the big time. Let’s face it, running at age 45 was always going to be a risk.”
Perhaps Obama can get some suggestions from McCain, about how to maintain a grueling schedule, and not be over come by exhaustion?
One suggestion might be to cut out all the late night (taxpayer funded) partying.
by Ronald Scott
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