That saying from Aristotle used to be translated differently, but now we know what ‛o theós really refers to. The Man from Change obviously doesn’t agree with the dead white male Greek. His positions may appear to meander across the political spectrum in close coincidence with electoral convenience, but he will be the first to tell us that on all these matters – from the desirable future status of Jerusalem to the success of the “surge” in Iraq – he has been like a tree that’s standing by the water.
Some non-worshipers shake their heads and conclude that arguing about what Slick Barry said last year isn’t worth the effort. Jennifer Rubin responds with four good reasons why his attempts at historical revisionism matter:
#1: He doesn’t tell the truth. His lack of credibility on this and matters small and large (e.g., he never heard Wright’s hate speech, he played a major role in immigration, he always thought the surge would work) reveal him to be, at the very least, not offering anything resembling New Politics and, at worst, entirely untrustworthy.
#2: All his bouncing around is evidence of inexperience. He will confound our allies and embolden our foes because he says silly things or doesn’t understand what he is saying or doesn’t realize the import of his words.
#3: It reveals that he is weak and subject to persuasion by whichever group he is in front of at that moment. Before the netroots, unconditional talks sounded good, but no longer. In front of AIPAC “Undivided Jerusalem” sounded good, but not when trying to play the “honest broker” with the Arabs.
#4 . . . : Obama is stubborn and won’t admit when he makes an error. This is the Bush-redux argument. (The “You don’t want another bullheaded president” argument.)
Let me add one more item: Senator Obama’s indulgence in implausible reconciliations of past and present statements evidences an internal conviction that he is so charismatic, clever and convincing that ordinary mortals can be counted on to fall in readily with this week’s version of reality. “Arrogance” has become an overworked accusation, but it is a real phenomenon, and the junior solon from Illinois has a case so hyper-developed that Bill Clinton himself looks humble by comparison. The negative consequences for the Big He were more personal than political. The country may not be so lucky during an eight to ten year Obama reign.
Comments