Politically Tone Deaf, Morally Bereft; The Cowardly Obama Campaign Strikes Again

The Obama campaign’s idea of political courage is to run it up a flagpole and see what they can get away with. Then when it doesn’t work, pretend they weren’t really trying to do it in the first place.

Not unlike a naughty child who just threw a water balloon at teacher and doesn’t want to get caught.

First we have the Obama Presidential Seal – i.e., Obama as Übermentsch. This blue hellaciousness was a grotesque lift of the real Presidential seal even though he is only the presumptuous nominee. Remember, he hasn’t yet ‘arrived’ at the Convention. How arrogant and how sad. To think he needs to stand behind a symbol like this to make himself “look” more presidential. You know, sort of like subliminal advertising in commercials and/or the ‘Vulcan mind-meld.’

Gee, Senator, how about doing your job once in a while? You know, like holding even one subcommittee meeting on Afghanistan these past 18 months, you know, since, umm, you are, like, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on European Affairs. That might be kinda presidential. And our troops and our citizens might really appreciate it.

When his ‘logo’ was met with outrage and ridicule, suddenly it was ‘oh gee, this was only a one time deal, for a special event, we never really intended to use it.’ Right.

Then we have Obama deciding to give another one of his glorious speeches at the Brandenburg Gate in Germany. While I don’t usually find myself in agreement with Charles Krauthammer, his new opinion piece, The Audacity of Vanity, is spot on:

What Obama does not seem to understand is that the Brandenburg Gate is something you earn. President Ronald Reagan earned the right to speak there because his relentless pressure had brought the Soviet empire to its knees and he was demanding its final “tear down this wall” liquidation. When President John F. Kennedy visited the Brandenburg Gate on the day of his “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech, he was representing a country that was prepared to go to the brink of nuclear war to defend West Berlin.

When Chancellor Merkel kinda sorta told Obama that was not a good idea, the basic response was: ‘No worries, we were never really planning to do it anyway. We’ll just find some other powerful monument to stand in front of for our campaign backdrop.’

Senator Obama’s self-congratulatory European/Iraq tour is merely another marketing ploy designed to make him “look” more presidential – without ever actually having done anything that is Presidential. So just flying around a bunch of foreign countries is supposed to give him foreign policy street cred? Not unlike sitting in Rev. Wright’s church for 20 years was supposed to give him Chicago street cred? Got it.

Instead of doing his American Idol victory lap, dragging the three biggest news anchors in tow to worship at his feet, why doesn’t he consent to do a town hall meeting or two and face Senator McCain? You know – talk to the American people. Umm, yeah, like, the ones who he is supposed to be helping out of the morass we are in as a nation right now.

And now, the pièce de resistance. His treatment of Senator Max Cleland. I would say it is the latest of his blunders, but, sadly, there is a new one every day.

From Politico:

Former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland was an icon of Sen. John Kerry’s 2004 campaign, a badly wounded war hero who lost his seat, Kerry deplored, after a television advertising campaign questioned his commitment to national security.

But to the Obama campaign, Cleland has another qualification: Registered lobbyist.

So Cleland — despite his iconic status — was abruptly disinvited from appearing with Obama in Atlanta July 8, three sources familiar with the incident said.

“This was a hard decision regarding Senator Cleland,” said Obama’s deputy campaign manager, Steve Hildebrand, in an email. He cited Obama’s policy of banning lobbyists from participating in fundraising or giving money.

“If we make exceptions, we will open ourselves to criticism,” he said.

Cleland has told associates he was asked to appear at an Obama fundraising event in Atlanta on July 8, only to be told at the last minute that he wouldn’t be welcome.

The policy has been a key symbol of Obama’s outsider status, but many Democrats have also quietly questioned whether it goes too far when prominent party figures like Cleland, who an associate said has never actually lobbied in Washington, are left out in the cold on a technicality.

Cleland is registered to lobby for a company whose products are aimed at helping soldiers recover more quickly from battlefield injuries, Tissue Regeneration Technologies.

So let me get this straight. A man who is in a wheel chair, an icon of the Democratic party, who works to help wounded soldiers’ recovery when he himself lost three limbs in the war is told he is not welcome because – I must repeat this – if the Obama camp makes exceptions they will “open themselves to criticism”?

Hold fast my heart, Obama – you wouldn’t want to be criticized!! Horrors. Better to defecate on a man who almost died for his country, who served honorably in the Senate only to be swift boated in 2002. Now you – the standard bearer of the Democratic Party – tell him to get lost? Nice going, Senator.

Truly, this is among the worst of his idiotic, insensitive and cowardly behaviors. Once again, Senator Obama has proven there is no one person, no policy, no ideal, nor code of conduct he won’t throw under the bus for his own political gain or to cover his own shape-shifting persona.

For someone who is running on his great judgment, he seems to exercise none.

Senator Obama’s endless gaffes and misstatements, his blunders and the well of seemingly never ending arrogance are given grateful audience by his supporters and unfathomable political cover from mainstream news outlets and the Party powerful.

A good friend said to me today, a cruise ship is slow to turn. I’m still waiting for all those aboard this particular Titanic to change course.