Obama Hasn’t Faced A National Existential Crisis. That’s Good, Right?
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Alex Knapp | Tuesday, June 9, 2009 |
In response to this article, which is subtitled, “Scholars say Lincoln, Roosevelt, Truman faced greater challenges in office”, sci-fi author John Scalzi rightly notes:
This is somehow a bad thing? I mean, I’m generally a fan of Obama and all; he seems a smart and generally capable fellow. But given the choice of testing his mettle with a nation-rending civil war and/or the deepest financial collapse in modern history and/or a global struggle against genocidal fascism, or not, I’d personally kind of rather go with not, you know?
I would hope that, regardless of politics, we can all concur with that sentiment.
About the Author: Alex has a B.S. in Biochemistry from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law. He has been published in the Kansas City Star, TCS Daily, and Comic Book Resources. He joined the staff of OTB in June 2006. Additionally, he’s been writing at Heretical Ideas since October, 2001, and also reviews cigars at Cigar Jack's Cigar News and Reviews.
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I enjoy Scalzi's books, and read his website almost daily.
I agree that I'd rather not see an obvious existential crisis as he defines it, though I do consider domestic and foreign events to be at least portents of a crisis down the road.
Scalzi is whistling past the graveyard, as are many of us. For my part, it's because Pres Obama has given me the impression that he and his staff are out of their depth in so many ways, but unwilling to recognize it. They go down a path that a wiser man, or a more cynical one, recognizes as the wrong way, but won't stop going until they bump up against cold hard reality. By then, they've wasted time, taxpayer's money, credibility, etc.
Watching Pres. Obama and his cabinet deal to what's already on his plate, I don't want to see him get challenged with anything more critical either.
If wishes were horses...
Meanwhile, I've grown weary of the hand-wringing about the burden we have all placed on President Obama, and how all these great or perhaps not-so-great crises are interfering with his desire to remake the United States in his own image, or something like that.
But wasn't it Bill Clinton who regretted not having the opportunity for greatness by having something really bad happen on his watch?
For my part, it's because Pres Obama has given me the impression that he and his staff are out of their depth in so many ways, but unwilling to recognize it.
That sums it up for me...with the addition that not only is he/they unwilling to recognize it, the media scrutiny is light at best. That is worrisome.
I do find it interesting that he and his team made the campaign look so easy though. I know running for the WH and running the WH are two different things but he made it look easy. He nary swatted at the Clinton "machine" and it crumbled.
