Guess What Joe Biden Was Doing At The Inauguration
Both he and Malia Obama were busy taking photos of the proceedings.
The problem is, one of them is a ten-year old child and her gesture is cute and charming, whereas the other guy is a 65 year-old man who just became our Vice-President. If Palin had done this on the day, she would've been flayed again as lacking utter gravitas for the role.
Until now, Senator Obama had allowed his gaffe-tastic running mate a free hand to characterise his economic programmes -- you might recall Joe Biden claiming it was time to be "patriotic" and pay higher taxes.
(Someone get into their Time Machine, and tell that to the Boston Tea Party)
Turns out Smirky isn't the only one wishing to demean people for their suspicion of higher taxation to "spread the wealth". Senator Obama's own words, on Friday:
"John McCain and Sarah Palin they call this socialistic," Obama continued. "You know I dont know when, when they decided they wanted to make a virtue out of selfishness."
Hear that, Libertarians? A direct slap to the face of all you Ayn Rand acolytes (although I notice he wasn't too keen on sending back "John Galt"'s donation to his campaign).
When looking back on this campaign, I think people will remember this event as another time Obama had his John Murtha "racist", "rednecks" moment, i.e., you can't insult that which supports you, and expect to govern your insultees.
Not in America, you don't. May I suggest another trip to the Brandenburg Gate. No bitter people clinging to guns and bibles there.
Either way, the Junior Senator from Illinois needs to get a lesson in geography fast. I mean, Christ on a swing set, who does he think he is? George W. Bush?
UPDATE Sunday 14:00: Senator Obama gave an important foreign policy speech in Miami, and there's good news, and bad news. WGM struck YET again!
But he also used a word in a context few in his Party have ever used towards a certain Latin American leader.
"Since the Bush Administration launched a misguided war in Iraq, its policy in the Americas has been negligent toward our friends, ineffective with our adversaries, disinterested in the challenges that matter in peoples’ lives, and incapable of advancing our interests in the region.
No wonder, then, that demagogues like Hugo Chavez have stepped into this vacuum."
First of all, this is factually incorrect.
President Hugo Chavez "stepped into" his position of power on 2 February 1999, after his election in 1998.
To those who wish to reply that Obama meant the Bush Administration's policies exacerbated the situation, allowing Hugo Chavez to exploit it, I say, which Bush Administration are you referring to?
Perhaps GHW Bush's in 1992, when Hugo Chavez first attempted a military coup? Which was successfully defended and he was then imprisoned for it?
Because this Bush's foreign policies certainly didn't create any vacuum that allowed a man like Chavez to rise, two years after his incarceration. From 1994 to 1998, the haughty arm's length remove of the Clinton administration contributed to this rise.
It took President Clinton nearly 5 years into his term before he deigned to set foot on South American soil, doing so only on October 13, 1997 (!).
Do you remember his first stop? I do. It was Venezuela.
Gosh, President Clinton. Thanks for keeping your eye on the ball.
But wait, there's good news, as I mentioned. Senator Obama did mention a significant word that the Bush Administration has failed to use in its almost 8 years of existence.
Although some bloggers failed to preface the above quote, they did note that Obama called Chavez a "demagogue".
I realise he was speaking to a largely Cuban/Latin-American crowd here in Miami, as the Senator is desperate to be more amenable to Hispanics in his campaign, having to date failed dismally.
But at least he said it.
Now let's see how Hugo Chavez replies, as last time he called President Bush a queer ("pajarito", the universal Spanish slang word for a homosexual man) a "burro", and a coward.
