The Floating President

So Obama gets testy in a presser about his disengagement from the budget process (after tasking Big F'ing Biden to deal with it) by saying he's amused about criticism he's not more active, pointing out his awesome multi-tasking skills of scolding the Congress to get off their duffs while handling Greece, the Afghanistan victory retreat and killing bin Laden, all while squeezing in 18 holes every week.

Greece?

It's just another example of our floating president. Obama floats above every issue, either tasking subordinates or directing operations from on high, convinced he's above the fray and blameless. Occasionally he'll get frustrated by criticism and peer down from Mt. Olympus to scold the little people for their slacker ways, pointing out the harm their ineptitude may cause, such as allowing poisoned food, unwarned tornadoes and lack of a college education for illegal immigrants. And he never forgets to remind about white men's greed in a world of need.

He even scolded Al Gore and RFK Jr. today for using private jets! Well not directly, but they must have blushed. And geez, talk about blushing...

In these days of deep governmental budget cuts, one tech company has received some remarkable sweetheart deals from Uncle Sam.

Consumer Watchdog’s six-month investigation has produced a 32-page report detailing how Google has inappropriately benefited from its close ties to the Obama administration, including how NASA’s Moffett Airfield, near Google’s world headquarters, has been turned into a taxpayer-subsidized private strip for Google executives used for corporate junkets.

A growing fleet of jets and helicopters stand ready to ferry the company’s top executives near or far, for business or pleasure, for vacations or schmoozing, including at least three wintertime trips to the Caribbean and a trip by Google chief executive Eric Schmidt to the Cannes Film Festival. Humanitarian groups, by contrast, have been denied access to the airport.

And he even scolded himself--candidate Obama--for his views on the War Powers Resolution vis a vis Libya, testily pointing out the thousands of lives saved or created unlike that dumb war in Iraq. Just who does this guy think he is?!

MORE 6/30/11

Here's the entire thing. The Chuck Todd question around 15:00 provided a glimpse at the new neocon Obama, who suddenly doesn't want to talk about 'process' (WPR) anymore now that he's engaged with the terrorist in Libya who has "killed more Americans than just about anyone". And anyone who questions the process or doesn't speak with a unified voice about getting rid of this madman who gave up his nuclear program to Bush's diplomacy is not patriotic or something.

Later a reporter asked about "days not weeks", which he defined as the length of time American forces would be 'in the lead'. "Promise made, promise kept" is how he defined it. Wonder how many Americans watching that speech understood that particular nuance? Nobody bothered to quiz him on his initial comment that we were not targeting Gaddafi.

He also wasn't asked to definition of "hostility". Overall he called the whole pushback thing a 'fuss' and refused to say whether he thought the WPR was constitutional--he wasn't even going to 'get there'. Which is crazy, because his administration has already gone there:

President Barack Obama and his administration believe that the War Powers Resolution is constitutional, but that it doesn't apply to U.S. military action in Libya.

But now, after saying our actions don't meet the definition of hostilities, he won't even admit whether the Act itself is constitutional (as he put it, not wanting to put on his constitutional law professor hat).

But he DID put on the hat to definitively say DOMA was unconstitutional! Without question! Can anyone figure out just where the hell Obama stands on gay marriage, by the way?

The Latino reporter that asked about "Fast and Furious" was courageous and asked a follow up. Perhaps she was the only reporter in the room who could devine an answer (imagine Les Kinsolving asking it) but Obama simply said he didn't know and was going to get to the bottom of it and take appropriate actions, whatever those might be. But since the investigation was ongoing he couldn't comment. Sounds like the Plame thing. Of course it's worse.

On granting illegal aliens amnesty, they deserve it because they are muy bueno, and happy Cinco de Quatro everybody!

Obama went on and on scaring about what might happen if the Debt Ceiling deadline is ignored, then went on and on about how he didn't want to 'spook' and scaremonger about it. He rightfully bashed Congress by claiming they "ran up" the bills but didn't specially point out that America is still operating on a fiscal year 2009 budget because Pelosi wouldn't bring one to a vote in either 2009 or 2010 for political reasons. That's what floating is all about.

Media performance summary-- once again the White House press corpse has failed America by refusing to risk hurting the president's feelings by interrupting him or demanding adequate follow up answers or busting his filibusters. Pathetic display, again. No wonder MSNBC suspended Halperin for inappropriately calling the president "a dick" at the presser, even though more than a few might privately agree.

Presidential performance summary-- Obama came across at times as dogmatic, inflexible, churlish and some k word that completes the acronym. It's clear he's the tip of a Democratic spear designed to force McConnell and Boehner into raising taxes on 'the rich' so Obama can go into the 2012 campaign boasting of fulfilling his promise to spread the wealth, while putting a wedge between the GOP and Tea Party--perhaps with hopes that Bachmann, Palin or Cain will split off and run as an independent, thereby ensuring Obama's reelection.