Boldness v. Anemia

Am I the only person in the country who thinks that Barack Obama has sounded like a petulant child the past couple of days?  His statements to the press have made him look like he’s in the schoolyard instead of on the world stage vying for a serious adult job:  I was first!  I was!  Me me me me me!

Apparently, he believes it’s more important right now to stay in campaign mode and issue statements and press briefings.  He compulsively points out to everyone in hearing range that he made the first phone call to the McCain campaign to suggest issuing a joint press statement.  He said yesterday that “if you need me in Washington, call me.”  (There’s that savior complex again – “If you get into really serious trouble, call me, and I’ll ride up on my white horse at the last minute to save you all.”)  This morning he tauted his rival by saying that John McCain “shouldn’t be scared to confront me” in debate.  

Oh please.  First of all, John McCain, with his actual war experience and 20 years as a US senator going against special interests, has faced far more formidable opponents than a lightweight one-term senator from Illinois.  And if the Democratic nominee thinks all these gestures make him appear statesmanlike, he needs to think again.   Making joint statements in the middle of a crisis is not dealing with the crisis.  Making sure that everyone within hearing range knows that I MADE THE FIRST TELEPHONE CALL! is not statesmanlike nor does it give the appearance of leadership, it’s shrill and self-serving. This whole thing is not about him, and it’s not about his campaign, and it’s not about taking credit – it’s a test of the greatness of our country and it’s institutions, and the premises upon which it is based.  

Contrast all this talk and posturing to McCain’s boldness:  Believing that politicking is not the appropriate way to deal with a crisis, he immediately issued a statement to wit:  This is not the time for talk, it’s a time for action.  He’s absolutely right:  It’s time to roll up the sleeves, do the hard work of thinking, analyzing and proposing solutions, and then negotiating with contentious colleagues to create a plan that will work.  It’s a time for being responsible for a solution that’s best for the country and not just a chosen few.

When something happens that requires a mature and serious response,  McCain’s first instinct is to place inconsequential matters in the background where they belong, and focus on pitching in to do the hard work it will take to achieve a solution.   Obama’s first instinct is to call to everyone’s attention to an early-morning phone call in which he suggested making a joint statement.  Real presidential stuff there, don’t you think?  Instead of reaching across the aisle (a claim he makes often but without factual basis) to actually create real solutions, his first instinct is to issue tepid statements to the press about the importance of keeping a scheduled debate on world affairs.  Remember this, folks: contrary to Democrat party values,  character matters.  It always has, and it always will.   Their version of character is making sure the race goes on so they can win the White House back, no matter what. 

I’m not sure what’s behind this, except perhaps a truly immature longing to be the center of attention.  Maybe Obama the Candidate is scared that when the FBI concludes its investigation into the inner workings of the mortgage houses that perpetuated this mess, they’re going to uncover some serious connections between him and the people who headed Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.  On the other hand, maybe this is just another manifestation of his anemic response to real work – we certainly haven’t seen evidence to the contrary.