Obama's first-class temperament strikes again

Today's must-read is Scott Johnson's Ten Theses on Obama's Iftar Speech, in which our president combines offensive attitudes and dishonest rhetorical devices to obnoxious effect:

1. Obama's tone was not one calculated to persuade. He both hectored and belittled those who oppose the GZM. If you respectfully beg to differ with Obama, it is hard to like the persona Obama had on display Friday night.
2. Obama supported the GZM in his usual style, in which his position is juxtaposed with a straw man of his choosing. It is an unappealing rhetorical habit that is made even more unappealing when applied to an issue on which people of good faith obviously differ with him.

That's classic Obama, always quick to impugn the motives of anyone who opposes him. More:

8. By Saturday, in the face of the response his remarks engendered, Obama was backing off from his support for the GZM. He availed himself of the option of emphasizing the straw man he had addressed. We were to believe that he was only addressing the issue in the abstract. Both Friday's statement and Saturday's backtracking were remarkably unpersuasive.

In other words, his weasel-like "clarification" was an obvious lie. I'm not sure whether he expects anyone to believe him or not. Mr. Johnson thinks not:

In the 2008 campaign Obama presented himself as a healing if not a redemptive figure. For reasons that are almost completely understandable, many voters chose to believe in Obama's self-presentation. Belief in Obama's persona conflicted with voluminous evidence to the contrary that was there for anyone with eyes to see.
These voters who bought Obama nevertheless quickly saw through Obama's persona after the election. They now believe they were sold a bill of goods, and they are of course right. Obama's Iftar remarks suggest that Obama has no hesitation at all in reminding voters how he pulled one over on them.

The question remains whether he sees through his own false persona.


Meanwhile, CNN openly acknowledges Obama's incoherence. The drain-circling has begun.


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