Friday, January 23, 2009

Off with his head!

From the Politico:



President Obama made a surprise visit to the White House press corps Thursday night, but got agitated when he was faced with a substantive question.

Asked how he could reconcile a strict ban on lobbyists in his administration with a Deputy Defense Secretary nominee who lobbied for Raytheon, Obama interrupted with a knowing smile on his face.

"Ahh, see," he said, "I came down here to visit. See this is what happens. I can't end up visiting with you guys and shaking hands if I'm going to get grilled every time I come down here."

Pressed further by the Politico reporter about his Pentagon nominee, William J. Lynn III, Obama turned more serious, putting his hand on the reporter's shoulder and staring him in the eye.

"Alright, come on" he said, with obvious irritation in his voice. "We will be having a press conference at which time you can feel free to [ask] questions. Right now, I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself to you guys - that's all I was trying to do."

The president was quickly saved by a cameraman in the room who called out: “I’d like to say it one more time: ‘Mr. President.’ ”

And so we see the pattern as it will be played out countless times over the next four years. Obama expects to be worshiped and when he is not he grows frustrated and angry. When someone in the media actually treats him like an elected official should be treated (by asking him real questions and being skeptical about the answers) he is quickly rescued by other members of the media who understand that it is their place to simply grovel before the majesty of His splendid presence, urinating on themselves at the prospect of his divine gaze falling upon them.

In a related story members of the White House Press Corps asked the president to make an exception to his ban on the use of torture so that they might "take necessary and appropriate action against heretical journalists who commit the blasphemous act of questioning the Divine Presence". An unnamed administration official said that the request was being given what he termed "due consideration".