Obama's Press Conference

After watching Mr. Obama face the press last evening, I've really come to the conclusion that this President is little more than a modern day vaudeville song and dance man. Aside from a super-sized sell job (with help from "Tickles the Teleprompter") for his massive budget, there was little, if anything, substantial in the one-hour quest fest.

Most of the hard ball questions were blocked, or simply bounced off, their intended target.

It is, however, becoming more and more apparent that the left-leaning press, who so worshipped Obama during the campaign, is quickly learning where his hot buttons are how to press them. For example, when asked by CNN's Ed Henry (in regards to the AIG fiasco), "Why did you wait days to come out and express that outrage? It seems like the action is coming out of New York and the attorney general's office. It took you days to come public with Secretary Geithner and say, look, we're outraged. Why did it take so long?" Obama responded defensively, "It took us a couple of days because I like to know what I'm talking about before I speak." Not only was the tone of the response quite unpresidential, it was just plain wrong. At this point, everyone knows Obama, Geithner, Dodd and host of others knew all about the bonuses well in advance. In addition, during the campaign and his first 2 months in office, there are dozens (a conservative estimate), of documented instances where Obama has shot from the hip and put his foot it in.

Aside from that, the broadcast was little more than a waste of prime time, peppered with pleas for patience and and the usual finger-points to Bush and the republicans as the real source for the mess we're in. For example, when asked by Chip reid, the debt will increase $7 trillion over the next 10 years. The Congressional Budget Office says $9.3 trillion. And today on Capitol Hill, some Republicans called your budget, with all the spending on health care, education and environment, the most irresponsible budget in American history." Mr. Obama responded, "I suspect that some of those Republican critics have a short memory, because, as I recall, I'm inheriting a $1.3 trillion deficit, annual deficit, from them. That would be point number one." Wrong! That would be not be point #1,in fact, that may not even be a point! Further more, that number includes the cost of the war in Iraq (whether you agree with the war or not, it's still the reality). One thing you can say for George W, even with the mess he inherited from Slick Willy, he never once, to my recollection, blamed his predecessor. He merely accepted the situation and moved forward.

On a final point, I was really annoyed with Obama's remarks (to a question from Kevin Baron, Stars and Stripes) about how his budget "reflects the largest increase in veterans funding in 30 years," and "there are a whole host of veterans issues that I think every American wants to see properly funded, and that's what's reflected in our budget." This rhetoric has become so typical of this President. Throughout the campaign, Obama showed little respect for the military and just last week, it was reported that president was trying to take away benefits from veterans, not increase them. See obama waves white flag on plan to stick it to veterans.

The bottom line? Personally speaking, I saw this as nothing more than another miss-use of presidential power. As we learned during the campaign, Obama really loves the camera and sees himself more as a TV star or celebrity than the leader of the free world. But how long can that last? At some point, he's going to learn that if people want a "show about nothing" they'll watch Seinfeld reruns.  Read the transcript