The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

So, ‘Words Matter’ Does Not Mean
‘Words Affect Matter’?

Posted on | May 31, 2010 | 15 Comments

by Smitty (h/t Weasel Zippers via American Glob)

Liz Cheney is clearly the new hotness:

Barack Obama epitomizes the challenge of homo bureaucratus. While management skills are indeed skills in their own right (not to accuse BHO of possessing such), they are of the necessary but not sufficient variety.
True, leaders delegate to subordinates. Leaders cannot know, or even know how to do, everything. However, once the subordinates glom onto the fact that the leader is capable of precious little past shoe tying, and have no basis for following beyond idle curiosity, things go pear-shaped in a hurry.

As Ancient Commenter Solomon observed:

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
–Proverbs 29:18

You now have a President who can view substantial, well-grounded negative feedback from the people, say “There is some basis for concern,” and then behave as if condescending to notice the existence of an opposing view constitutes a substantial exchange on the topic, to say nothing of allowing an alternative view to affect policy meaningfully.

Liz Cheney has succinctly verbalized what events tells us. It’s just over five months until we have our national moment of repentance.

You know what to do.

Category: Barack Obama

Comments

15 Responses to “So, ‘Words Matter’ Does Not Mean
‘Words Affect Matter’?”

  1. Joe
    May 31st, 2010 @ 6:14 pm

    Liz Cheney in 2012? Ooooooh, thing of all the people that would piss off.

  2. Joe
    May 31st, 2010 @ 1:14 pm

    Liz Cheney in 2012? Ooooooh, thing of all the people that would piss off.

  3. Joe
    May 31st, 2010 @ 8:13 pm

    Excuse me, think. I like it when Liz fills in on FoxNews Sunday.

    Michael Clayton?

  4. Joe
    May 31st, 2010 @ 3:13 pm

    Excuse me, think. I like it when Liz fills in on FoxNews Sunday.

    Michael Clayton?

  5. ccoffer
    May 31st, 2010 @ 9:06 pm

    Watch it a second time and look at Wang Williams’ face. It’s priceless.

  6. ccoffer
    May 31st, 2010 @ 4:06 pm

    Watch it a second time and look at Wang Williams’ face. It’s priceless.

  7. ccoffer
    May 31st, 2010 @ 9:15 pm

    Watch it a second time and look at Wong Williams’ face. It’s priceless.

  8. ccoffer
    May 31st, 2010 @ 4:15 pm

    Watch it a second time and look at Wong Williams’ face. It’s priceless.

  9. Patrick
    May 31st, 2010 @ 10:33 pm

    She’s got a point. But she’s nothing more than a McCarthyite.

    Not to mention her father, whom I hate with a passion.

  10. Patrick
    May 31st, 2010 @ 5:33 pm

    She’s got a point. But she’s nothing more than a McCarthyite.

    Not to mention her father, whom I hate with a passion.

  11. young4eyes
    June 1st, 2010 @ 12:20 am

    Yeah, didn’t her father say that deficits don’t matter? How about a tea-bagger protest at his doorsteps?
    His son, er -I mean daughter, is as pathetic as she is butchy.
    Smitty, your entire post is an object lesson in the hypocrisy of the Right: everything you say is easily applied to the previous administration and President. I’m beginning to take literally the idea of the ‘sleeping giant’, as it seems that you and your ilk were indeed asleep for the last 8 to 10 years.
    Which is why the whole Tea Party joke has exposed itself to be a cover for Conservative ignorance, not to mention a thoroughly discredited movement.But it sure does move those tchatchki’s!
    Cup Warmers anyone?

  12. young4eyes
    May 31st, 2010 @ 7:20 pm

    Yeah, didn’t her father say that deficits don’t matter? How about a tea-bagger protest at his doorsteps?
    His son, er -I mean daughter, is as pathetic as she is butchy.
    Smitty, your entire post is an object lesson in the hypocrisy of the Right: everything you say is easily applied to the previous administration and President. I’m beginning to take literally the idea of the ‘sleeping giant’, as it seems that you and your ilk were indeed asleep for the last 8 to 10 years.
    Which is why the whole Tea Party joke has exposed itself to be a cover for Conservative ignorance, not to mention a thoroughly discredited movement.But it sure does move those tchatchki’s!
    Cup Warmers anyone?

  13. smitty
    June 1st, 2010 @ 12:26 am

    @Y4E,
    Does your golden hover pony have any other tricks? Do you confuse this blog with some other one? Haven’t we beat the GOP enough, as well?

    Who gives a flying French fornication about hypocrisy? The Progressive GOP has been as detrimental as the Progressive Dems; it’s just not in power, and if the Tea Party has any brains, the Progressive GOP will go under the bus too.

    But thanks for checking in. I was beginning to feel unloved. 😉

  14. smitty
    May 31st, 2010 @ 7:26 pm

    @Y4E,
    Does your golden hover pony have any other tricks? Do you confuse this blog with some other one? Haven’t we beat the GOP enough, as well?

    Who gives a flying French fornication about hypocrisy? The Progressive GOP has been as detrimental as the Progressive Dems; it’s just not in power, and if the Tea Party has any brains, the Progressive GOP will go under the bus too.

    But thanks for checking in. I was beginning to feel unloved. 😉

  15. Peggy Noonan, Secret Motörhead Fan : The Other McCain
    June 19th, 2010 @ 9:18 pm

    […] action impresses anyone, Noonan? Leadership is not about running a godforsaken popularity contest. ‘Words Matter’ Does Not Mean ‘Words Affect Matter’. You simply cannot ‘give good speech’ and then expect the problem to fix itself. You […]