Bad Timing for a Broadway Show

At least when George W. Bush goofed off, he was seen busily clearing brush or running on a treadmill. His successor takes in a fancy West Village meal followed by a Broadway show. There is nothing wrong with a night on the town now and then but Obama seems to be taking more than his fair share. Here he is hamming it up with reporters ("my base") at a black-tie event. There he is appearing topless and Matthew McConaughey-like on a magazine cover. The Oval Office seems like a day at the beach.

I'm reminded of the mini-fuss that followed Obama's 60 Minutes interview in which he laughed his way through a serious discussion about the war and economy. Where's the "I feel your pain" empathy so characteristic of Democratic presidents (and their judicial nominees)? Is Obama trying to sail through his presidency the way he sailed through the U.S. Senate?

The 3 a.m. phone calls that concern me most are the ones Obama makes as he phones in his presidential duties, which apparently include tapping his top campaign fundraisers to fill lush embassy posts in London and Paris, the kind of coveted spots lifelong diplomats with, you know, actual training, would die for. I would love to see how much the presidential couple's romantic night out in New York, replete with security detail, advance team preparation, police escort, etc., cost American taxpayers (I hope there's a FOIA out there requesting those figures). Why can't Americans summon the same outrage over government waste as Brits?

The trouble is, buoyed by a gaga media, Obama sees his position in presidential history as, to borrow an apt but overused sports metaphor, a "slam dunk." North Korea is threatening to nuke its neighbors, yet the U.S. State Department has not even confirmed its top analyst on East Asia. Pakistan is coming unraveled, yet Obama's solution is to repackage the same medicine of his hawkish predecessor: send more troops, then slap a bureaucratic name on it like Af-Pak, which sounds like a bad insurance slogan.

His solution for Middle East peace? To regurgitate his own mixed background. Obama's bio, however inspiring, is beginning to sound a lot like John Edwards' tear-jerky speech about his coalminer dad. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), this kind of pap does not play as well in the Middle East. To quote Iran's parliamentary speaker, Ali Larijani: "Our problem with America is not emotional." Muslims I spoke to on a recent visit to the Middle East appreciate Obama's moving story, his rhetoric of unity, but that does not make up for the fact that Washington is still in bed with Israel, something that will always imperil our ability to broker peace in the region.

Obama shouldn't be seen kicking his feet up while the world is crashing around him. His too-cool-for-school demeanor and Camelot-like escapades on Broadway remind me of a line from a 1970s musical: "I came from the people, they need to adore me... I need to be thrilling. I want to be rainbow high. They need their escapes, and so do I." Let's hope Obama goes down in history better than Eva Peron.

Comments

[GYRainforest]

I forgot to say , great post Lionel Beehner.

[GYRainforest]

The Obama's administration has done further damage to the American social and political culture. It has advanced familiarity as the order of the day. It treats the White House with disdain.

Rahm Emanuel, who apparently suffers from an inferiority complex, is given free reign. He acts like the Vice President.

Rahm uses obscenities as frequently as one blinks and sees nothing wrong with this. It seems even the President is intimidated and subjected to him. There appears to be too much familiarity between the President and his staffers. This administration seems more interested in being seen as 'hip' in the eyes of their youth voters than setting a high standard of good governance.

it is time Obama stop acting like he is on the set of the the West Wing and begin behaving like the POTUS. The White House and in particular the Oval Office, must again be given the august stature it deserves.

[letscutthebs]

Not so long ago Congress was chastising car industry CEOS for hopping to Washington for the day on a (one, not three) private jet. At least it was for business and on company money, and not for pleasure and on hard earned tax payer money. Whatever leisurely activities past Presidents have indulged in (and I cannot remember anything as over the top or openly flashy), these are entirely different times. For the average American during these difficult times, the price for the Obamas date in NY ( which the White House Press Secretary so awkwardly avoided disclosing) is neither insignificant nor justifiable. The President and First Lady should look back at the exemplary behavior of the King and Queen of Great Britain during World War II in order to realize how callously they acted. And the "gaga" press should tune in to how this relates to the AVERAGE American suffering the ongoing economic crisis and also rave less about the President's campaign pledge to the First Lady or her latest Azzedine Alaia outfit.

[joyhamliton38]

Obama wasting taxpayer dollars for a evening in NYC. Mr President, what happened to "Change"? It looks to like to same old boo boo going on in DC.

[clarryr]

Reality, meet Mr. Beehner. Mr. Beehner, this is Reality.
Reality may seem strange to you but you need to stay in contact.

[blaqntelligence]

You have GOT to be kidding......

[mlr710]

Is this satire?

[coco51]

there isn't a punchline...

[centerdem06]

There is nothing wrong with the President taking his wife out for dinner and a show. From what it sounds like is 7 days a week on the job for 6 months is not enough for you. I'd rather our President take a few hours out of his busy life and relax with his wife. He doesn't have to micromanage every minute of his life. Give me a break! This is the problem with America is the workaholic syndrome. Get a life!!!

[allonfla]

Yawn

[majikinfl]

Why should we the American People foot the bill for the President to fly in Air Force One to take his wife on a date. The president condemened the Auto maker CEO's for taking corporate jets to Washington. They were begging the government for Money and help. The country is in dire trouble, gas is again climbing to where us poor people and retired people cannot afford it, and here he is flying off on a date at Tax Payer expense. It is very sorriful. This is NOT to say other presidents have not done the same. HIS TIMING STINKS!!

[LeftLeanWing]

They took a small plane to NYC not the 747 .....

[Angmorg]

Read Genesis.
Even God rested on the 7th day

[Angmorg]

Even God rested on the 7th day.

Give our President a break

[CricketGirl]

I, too, thought this piece was satirical at first. I mean, President Bush goofing off clearing brush or running on a treadmill? Pretty standard photo ops of the former president, and the source of much fun-poking. But also, I would hasten to add, sources of great exercise for the body and a chance to clear the mind as well, and I believe most people would prefer a president with a clear mind and a healthy body than one who was chained to his desk 24/7.

But the weekly 'date night' that the president and first lady have had since taking office - which they said was a long-standing tradition for them that would be continued once they moved into the White House - is also a great reminder to everyone the value of couple-time for married people who want to stay contentedly married, even while juggling children, work and community efforts.

I think their need to spend time along (or as along as president can ever be) to re-generate as a couple, sends a great message to many, many working parents everywhere. And I think it also sends a great message to corporate, business, academic and political workaholics everywhere: there is a limit to how much productive time any one person can spend on the job. Stop. Take a break. Spend some time with your spouse and your friends. The world will keep spinning. Today's problems will be solved in time for the new ones tomorrow.

[zizi]

"Kicking up his feet"? Really? Did you make any of your cynical statements when the Obamas decided to use THEIR own funds to renovate their living quarters in the White House instead of the federal allowance they were entitled to? Did you congratulate the President for forgoing redecorating his office as EVERY in-coming President does? Did you similarly complain about Presidential spending when Laura Bush spent huge sums of taxpayer dollars to buy china and a new Oval Office rug when the economy was collapsing last Fall? There is no principle to your complaint, Just carping. Methinks you are simply being mean and jealous.

[Eyeheartfreedumb]

I thought I recognized the writing style, so I looked at the tag line. I'm pretty sure this is the CFR writter who gave Collin Powell that great Iraq speech for the UN. Maybe he's the one that wrote about how democrats are making us less safe. Maybe he's the one who told us to buy duct tape and plastic sheeting to save ourselves from terrorists. I bet he was involved in the torture memos.
Seriously, I never take anything seriously that involves the Council on Foreign Relations. They are such a corrupt group who act like they run the government (or want to), and have enough influence in Washington that they practically do. This doesn't mean they are right or should be listened to. As a group they have done as much to deminish our once great country as Bush ever did (in fact he defered to them on many an occasion).