B.O.'s foreign policy in a picture.
Let's hope he was polite enough to apply some chapstik.
During a press conference, B.O. was asked about the use of the atomic bomb during the war with Japan. His response was horribly embarrassing.
"If Barack Obama can't stick up for the country he represents when he goes overseas, he should stay home."
The NYT writes: "It wasn't a bow, exactly. But [the President] came close. He inclined his head and shoulders forward, he pressed his hands together. It lasted no longer than a snapshot, but the image on the South Lawn was indelible: an obsequent President, and the Emperor of Japan."
Of course, the NYT would never write anything critical of the Messiah. The above was written about Bill Clinton.
My point here is that B.O. could have said any number of diplomatically vacuous things. He could have said, "Any war is horrible. President Truman made the decision he did with the best information he had. It might not be the decision we would make today, but it ended the war and saved millions of lives." Is it perfect? No. Is it a vigorous defense of the U.S.? Hardly. But it would have been much less embarrassing than the hemming and hawing that gushed from the Great Orator's pie-hole.
"If Barack Obama can't stick up for the country he represents when he goes overseas, he should stay home."
The NYT writes: "It wasn't a bow, exactly. But [the President] came close. He inclined his head and shoulders forward, he pressed his hands together. It lasted no longer than a snapshot, but the image on the South Lawn was indelible: an obsequent President, and the Emperor of Japan."
Of course, the NYT would never write anything critical of the Messiah. The above was written about Bill Clinton.
My point here is that B.O. could have said any number of diplomatically vacuous things. He could have said, "Any war is horrible. President Truman made the decision he did with the best information he had. It might not be the decision we would make today, but it ended the war and saved millions of lives." Is it perfect? No. Is it a vigorous defense of the U.S.? Hardly. But it would have been much less embarrassing than the hemming and hawing that gushed from the Great Orator's pie-hole.
Forgive me, I'm a little confused. Are you saying that B.O.'s comments were embarrassing because he avoided a question about the US dropping nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as he thought that the nuclear weapons should have been used
ReplyDeleteor
are you saying that B.O.'s comments were embarrassing because he avoided a question about the US dropping nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as he thought that the nuclear weapons should NOT have been used?
Fr. Anthony, you will have to watch his response on the link. It's embarrassing b/c he didn't represent his country as our president. He doesn't have to agree personally with the decision to drop the bomb, but he's not there as a private citizen. He represents us. He's taken on the habit of apologizing for American foreign policy. That's not his job.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand. 'America Right or Wrong' can't be an honest approach for a US President to take. If he personally believed that dropping the bomb was wrong, then he shouldn't ever have to defend it.
ReplyDeleteIf you had a President who was personally pro-life, you'd hardly expect him to become an apologist for the abortions committed in the US since Roe V Wade just because he was President.
Popes have had the courage to speak honestly about the times that evil has been committed in the name of the Church. Should not an American President have the right to render a sincere judgement about the past misdeeds of the US? Or is the USA (or indeed any nation) held to a higher standard of sinlessness than the Church?
FrB., then he should have rendered a fair judgment. Fine. But he didn't. He mumbled and stumbled and embarrassed himself and us.
ReplyDeleteAlso, there is no comparison to be made btw who the Pope is for us and what the Prez does for us.
ReplyDeleteTrotting out the old utiltarian line, 'it saved millions of lives', on the dropping of the nuclear weapons is really quite reprehensible because of the moral principle involved and hardly vacuous diplomatic speak.
ReplyDeleteI'm quite surprised you consider it an acceptable thing for a President to say, even as a supposed better response to the one he gave. I'm not trying to defend B.O. here, as I don't agree with him on his anti-life positions.
As an aside the photo seems to sum up how beholden the US has become to Asia to buy up its increasingly dubious debt. B.O. in this case is just as much a pawn of the bankers (esp Goldman Sachs) as G.W.B. was.
Fr Anthony, you're missing my point entirely. I do not subscribe to any utilitarian justificatory arguments for atomic warfare...or any utilitarian arguments at all!
ReplyDeleteThe President of the US is not a Dem or a Repub when he goes aboard. He's an American and he needs to defend America...BO has consistently undermined our interests abroad by playing to his domestic base. When he leaves office in 2012, he will be free to go anywhere he pleases and dump all he wants on the US. But while he is Prez, he needs to do his job...not play politics for his nutroots back home.
thank you fr. anthony!
ReplyDeletethis site has one pie hole that is too large and piping hot at all times.
it knows no temperance.
Thank goodness we have a prez who isn't like BUSH who can not say he made a mistake or we ever made a mistake.
i think it is called HUBRIS and our country and the world have paid for it mightily.
and YOU used the word "pie hole" about our president. I'll show you the same respect.
Mark
THAT is hemming and hawing?
ReplyDeleteBUsh would have turned it into a complete non seqitur disaster-thon.
You are on a different planet.
I'm so happy to see all priests aren't such wing nuts.
Ha Ha Ha
ReplyDeleteeven other priests think you're a conservative boob head
THANK YOU FR. ANTHONY
at least he affords you FAR more respect than lay people. He just leaves the bodies wherever and blows hard and huffs and puffs
hansard
Hansard, thank you for setting for lay folks in your comment such an excellent example of intellectual discourse.
ReplyDeleteOhhh, another example. Reports from Japan are that the Japanese themselves were embarrassed by his scraping before the emperor. But what do they know?
ReplyDeleteMark, please link to any instance of B.O. apologizing for a mistake he himself made. He's all too ready to apologize for the US...no one with that big an ego can conceive of the possibility that he's been wrong.
ReplyDeleteObama apologized immediately after making an insensitive comment about the Gates affair. Remember the beer summit?
ReplyDeleteNow, can I have one example of where the President has "undermined our interests abroad?"
Calling for world peace is a good thing, ask your main man, Benedict!
There you go again. It's the pie hole thing.
ReplyDeleteYou go. Set the example. It's awesome to witness what the Sacraments can do re: patience and temperance.
Scary.
PJ, sorry I didn't The Won say, "I am sorry for my stupid comment."
ReplyDeleteBowing to Saudi King
Surrendering our East Euro. allies to the Russians
Running our deficit up to trillions of $$$ and selling it to the Chiinese
Not attending the anniv. of the fall of the Berlin Wall...the Euros loved that!
Undermining democracy in Honduras by failing to support the constitutional ouster of a thug
Giving The Queen of England an iPod full of his own speeches
Giving Gordon Brown a stack of DVD's he can't use with Euro players
Getting spanked by Iran on the nuclear deal
Delaying for months a decision on supporting our troops in Afghanistan...
Even the squishy French think he's a being squishy...
and so on...
Notice to all concerned:
ReplyDeletePlease forgive me if I have incited such over the top replies. I'm certainly not coming from a position of Fr. Anthony vs Fr. Philip, and certainly I didn't expect to be scratching at old wounds. My comments were merely in the interest of robust debate - not name calling or personal attacks.
I didn't expect to be stepping into a minefield like this.
This will be my last on this one.
Fr. Anthony! Please don't leave b/c one of the blog ghosts decided to get personal. I wasn't offended by your comments at all. As an OP, we expect debate. Some though can't bear seeing their team/clan/party/frat/idol criticized. In my long experience in the blogosphere, unsigned comments are generally not to be taken seriously.
ReplyDeleteFr. Philip
Fr. Philip,
ReplyDeleteI find your blog to be very informative and enlightening.
However, with all due respect, I don't think you need to resort to using phrases such as "pie-hole" to get your point across. You are too much of a gifted and talented writer for that!
While there are obviously ghost/trolls/etc who are not interested in genuine dialogue, I think there are people who are sincerely concerned by such remarks coming from a highly regarded (for me at least!) Catholic priest such as yourself.
Thank you for your good work and may God bless you always.
Fr. Philip
ReplyDeleteMy point about being the last on this one was concerning this particular topic, not necessarily the last time I comment on your blog.
But now I've broken my own undertaking!!