The president “endured” a 50-minute diatribe from one of the usual sources:
President Obama endured a 50-minute diatribe from socialist Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega that lashed out at a century of what he called terroristic U.S. aggression in Central America and included a rambling denunciation of the U.S.-imposed isolation of Cuba’s Communist government.
Obama sat mostly unmoved during the speech but at times jotted notes. The speech was part of the opening ceremonies at the fifth Summit of the Americas here.
Later, at a photo opportunity with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Obama held his tongue when asked what he thought about Ortega’s speech.
“It was 50 minutes long. That’s what I thought…”
In his considered response, Mr. Obama said:
“To move forward, we cannot let ourselves be prisoners of past disagreements. I’m grateful that President Ortega did not blame me for things that happened when I was three months old. Too often, an opportunity to build a fresh partnership of the Americas has been undermined by stale debates. We’ve all heard these arguments before.”
With respect, Mr. President, it’s not about you. Nor how old you were. That’s your country that was being trashed by a pedophiliac, socialist thug.
Geez.
I liked his first response. The second, not so much. Perhaps Mr. Obama has forgotten that the office which he holds is not about him, but those he represents.
One might wonder whether your apparent ire is directed more toward our President than the “thug.” If so, I believe it to be misplaced.
For most of my life I have heard tyrants, petty dictators, thugs, and revolutionaries repeatedly and incessantly try to “trash” our country. Big deal. It is of no consequence considering the sources. Our great nation is not lessened in any way by their verbal ranting.
To get into a war of words with a petty bully is tantamount to schoolyard taunts and insults. To play their game is to reduce one to their juvenile level. The President was quite right to just listen and mostly ignore Ortega’s rants. However, President Obama’s muted and restrained comment was an enjoyable joke-ish jab in return.
If we are to have change and any progress in the world’s troublesome areas, we must not continue the juvenile rhetoric of the past, or respond in kind to theirs. To play the thugs of the world taunting games is only to perpetuate the same enmity that blocks progress, and furthers the instability in the world. Indeed, when the rants of thuggish leaders are mostly ignored, their power within their own country dissipates, providing more fertile ground to initiate some positive change and progress.
Just as on the playground, sticks and stones may hurt my country’s bones, but (thugs’) words cannot hurt us. And Ortega’s worlds don’t hurt me. Do they you?
We are better than they and should act as such. Thus, President Obama’s response was perfect.
fliterman, you are half right. His initial response was indeed correct. But his more considered response was somewhat less so. He feels that as long as he personally isn’t being blamed, it’s all good. But he isn’t a “person” anymore. In international affairs, he is the representative embodiment of the United States and anything he says may be taken as the policy of the United States. For a guy who claimed to be all about smart diplomacy, he seems to have overlooked this minor point.
So, you think perhaps a compassionate query about how poor little Zoilamérica was getting along these days would have been in bad form?
Our President seems to think that everything that happens is all about him. As XBrad TC says, “the office which he holds is not about him, but about those he represents.” Right on, Brad. But this kind of understanding is very difficult for a dedicated narcissist to grasp. And by the time they hit age 48, that mind-set is pretty ingrained.
I know. We have one in our family. And he is a fearsome bore.
Marianne
“did not blame me”…imagine a company that is being unjustly criticized for (something or other) and its CEO says “I’m glad you did not blame me.” Most people would conclude that the individual was unworthy of an executive position.
Indeed, even if them company were being *justly* criticized for something and the CEO’s first reaction was about personal blame, it would create a terrible impression of his leadership skills.
Nothing shocking in his 2nd response. About what we should expect from someone who campaigned from a place of ego and now seeks to rule this nation (yes, I said rule, not lead…) from a similar place.
It is all about him! What don’t you people understand. After all he is the messiah.
Right-on, Kris. BHO must believe his own press clippings, but then… what else is new?
A man who campaigns for the office of our President by speaking in Berlin in front of a crowd of Europeans is running on ego. Nothing else.
Can we all agree that after all of the hints, we are now seeing the reality of the BHO personality cult?!
Well, I didn’t read the same thing into this that most seem to. He wasn’t making this “about him”. He was belittling Ortega’s argument by using a basis for comparison: “tired old arguments” about events that took place when the president was three months old (actually three months before he was born, but not bad off the cuff). Kind of like, “time to move along old despot”. He was right to do so.
He had to say something, but couldn’t be over the top, nor could he simply ignore statements so obviously intended to be insulting. I think we came out looking better for his response (refutation of Ortega’s assertions would have taken hours, and what would be the point anyway..everyone would stop listening after ten seconds).
Liz, I see your point, and well made at that, but I think I’ll stick by my original contention that he should have quit while he was ahead.
I agree with you, Brad. The only other possible reasonable comment? How about, “Hmmm…”?
What a display of narcissism by the lightworker. My two cents. BTW, who was president when BHO was 3 years old?
Observation: I’d say he’s been well conditioned, sitting in Jeremiah Wright’s Church for those decades…you know, listening to anti-US stuff.
Dust, That would be LBJ iffin I’m not mistaken
Liz,
If he’d said “blame us for things that happened when I was…” then I’d think your point is valid. However, since he said “blame me“, it just doesn’t work.
Hmmm. Did Chavez actually blame Obama personally (as President) for anything specific?
Ortega specifically said “Obama wasn’t to blame for the Bay of Pigs” in the speech…so the response fit.
Unka,
You betcha. The Great Society has produced teh lightworker….