by Victor Davis Hanson<\/p>\n
National Review Online<\/em><\/p>\n What is Barack Obama\u2019s real problem? Too many people here and abroad took him at his word, and he now seems quite angry at that.<\/p>\n For two years Obama serially damned the entrepreneurial classes. They should \u201cspread the wealth,\u201d be \u201cpatriotic,\u201d and pay \u201ctheir fair share.\u201d They should be paying more income, payroll, and inheritance taxes. They could not be trusted with healthcare, student loans, high finance, or auto manufacturing. Their lifestyles of private jets and Super Bowl junkets came at the expense of the downtrodden. The would-be rich who made just over $200,000 were indiscriminately lumped together with the elite rich on Wall Street \u2014 who ironically contributed inordinately to Barack Obama\u2019s non\u2013publicly financed campaign coffers.<\/p>\n Apparently, the small-business classes took Obama\u2019s writs seriously, and for the foreseeable future they have shut down \u2014 they have quit hiring and buying, and are riding out the \u201crecovery.\u201d In response, a frantic Obama suddenly began talking about balanced budgets, tax cuts, and tax credits, and praising the private sector. Too late: Too many entrepreneurs took him at his original word.<\/p>\n Then there was the constant partisanship, the \u201cnever let a crisis go to waste\u201d Chicago hardball. Never has a president talked so much about reaching across the aisle and done so little of it. During the campaign, the Senate\u2019s most partisan member claimed he was its least. That same deception characterized most of his first year in the White House. He promised C-SPAN coverage of bipartisan give-and-take, while actually holding the health-care debate behind Democratic congressional doors to offer bribes and insider deals in exchange for votes. \u201cLet\u2019s end the bickering\u201d was usually the preface to \u201cBush did it, not me.\u201d Absolute Democratic control of Washington \u2014 both Congress and the White House \u2014 meant that Republicans had \u201cplayed Washington politics\u201d to stop grass-roots governance.<\/p>\n Then Scott Brown won the Senate seat long occupied by the late liberal lion Ted Kennedy, and Obama\u2019s polls dived below 50 percent. Soon even New York Times columnists began listing all sorts of reservations about Obama that they had long entertained but mysteriously only now voiced. In response, a frantic Obama is suddenly talking about reaching out, meeting with Republicans, and drafting bipartisan legislation. Too late: Too many Republicans took him at his original word.<\/p>\n In his dealings abroad, remember \u201chope and change,\u201d the \u201creset button,\u201d and all the grandiose promises of a year ago? Barack Obama assured our critics that he would have the dreadful Bush Guantanamo Bay detention center closed by now. But then the reality that most of the detainees were cold-blooded killers who would revert to terrorism upon release \u2014 and many were Yemenis eager to join up with al Qaeda at home \u2014 made those repeated boasts inoperative. I will be surprised if Obama ever closes Guantanamo.<\/p>\n The architect of 9\/11 and self-confessed beheader, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, was supposed to be accorded a big public civilian trial a couple of thousand yards away from the scene of his mass-murdering. There, his attorneys could plead that the Bush-Cheney nexus had waterboarded him, as he voiced to the world all his grievances against a purported neo-imperialist, colonialist, and racist Bush America \u2014 hoping that at least one sympathetic juror might fall for his \u201cAmerica made me do it\u201d defense.<\/p>\n That too seems now to be history. Sometime around Christmas, Obama discovered that al Qaeda both still wishes to kill us and does not appreciate that we give Miranda rights to our would-be killers. I would be surprised if KSM is ever tried in a civilian court in the United States.<\/p>\n Iran was to be wowed and charmed by Barack Hussein Obama, who would distance himself from America\u2019s past sins, dating all the way back to the coup against Mossadegh in 1953. Ahmadinejad would faint in ecstasy like the 2008 campaign crowds, as he gave up his nuclear-weapon plans and fell in love with the new postnational America. And now? Iran does the same old, same old \u2014 \u201cIsrael must be destroyed,\u201d and no one dare tell us to stop our nuclear program. The latest theocratic communiqu\u00e9 promised the \u201cend of American civilization\u201d \u2014 as we rush anti-missile batteries to the Gulf. I would not be surprised to see Iran set off a bomb this year or next.<\/p>\n This scenario has been replayed all over the globe. Thousands of Japanese hit the streets, echoing Obama\u2019s signature \u201cChange!\u201d \u2014 but as in \u201cChange U.S.-Japanese Relations.\u201d And why not, if we are to take on another $9 trillion in debt during this administration, much of it from Japan and China? And how dare we base our troops on Japanese soil \u2014 especially in a postnational age, when alliances, and a world divided into good guys and bad guys, are, well, so pass\u00e9?<\/p>\n Russia still bullies its neighbors and tries to embarrass the United States. China still threatens to take over Taiwan. North Korea still tries to shake us down for cash by stirring up trouble with Seoul. Ch\u00e1vez is as buffoonish as ever, and has only been empowered by our recent \u201coutreach.\u201d<\/p>\n In short, throughout the campaign and during the first months of his presidency, Obama globally made the argument that George Bush\u2019s America had done wrong and was part of the world\u2019s problem rather than its solution. But the world garbled Obama\u2019s message, and instead came away with the distinct impression that America itself \u2014 whether Bush\u2019s or Obama\u2019s \u2014 was the problem. One cannot spend two years blaming America under Bush, and then suddenly claim, \u201cThat was then, this is now,\u201d and expect the world to rally to the godhead of Barack Obama and his new, improved America.<\/p>\n How odd that Obama, the rhetorician, forgot that words matter \u2014 and that the truth is not a trifle, a mere construct predicated on the particular situation at the moment it is voiced.<\/p>\n Too many people, here and abroad, took Barack Obama at his word. And right now \u2014 drifting amid high unemployment, mounting domestic opposition, and energized enemies abroad \u2014 he sorely wishes that they had not.<\/p>\n \u00a92010 Victor Davis Hanson<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Obama, the rhetorician, learns people take a man at his word. by Victor Davis Hanson National Review Online What is Barack Obama\u2019s real problem? Too many people here and abroad took him at his word, and he now seems quite angry at that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[609],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p466Sb-tM","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6860,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/vdh-quoted-in-barack-obamas-past-as-murky-as-his-word\/","url_meta":{"origin":1846,"position":0},"title":"VDH Quoted In, “Barack Obama’s past as murky as his word”","author":"victorhanson","date":"December 19, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jack Kelly \/\/\u00a0The Pittsburgh Press\u00a0 Onyango \u201cOmar\u201d Obama, 69, half-brother of Barack Obama Sr., came to the United States on a student visa in 1963, remained here illegally after it expired, was ordered to leave the U.S. in 1986, 1989 and 1992, but ignored the deportation orders. After Onyango\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Political Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Political Culture","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/american-culture\/political-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9450,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/the-legacies-of-barack-obama\/","url_meta":{"origin":1846,"position":1},"title":"The Legacies of Barack Obama","author":"victorhanson","date":"September 15, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Without policy achievements to hang his hat on, Obama\u2019s rhetoric will be how he\u2019s remembered \u2013 and the results have been ugly. By Victor Davis Hanson \/\/ National Review Online On his recent Asian tour, President Obama characterized his fellow Americans (the most productive workers in the world) as \u201clazy.\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Campaign 2016"","block_context":{"text":"Campaign 2016","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/campaign-2016\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7917,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/from-comedy-to-farce\/","url_meta":{"origin":1846,"position":2},"title":"From Comedy to Farce","author":"victorhanson","date":"October 13, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"by Victor Davis Hanson \/\/ PJMedia It was tragically comical that the commander in chief in just a few weeks could go from referring to ISIS as \u201cjayvee\u201d and a manageable problem to declaring it an existential threat, in the same manner he upgraded the Free Syrian Army from amateurs\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 9 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 9 comments","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/from-comedy-to-farce\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"obama_lies_big_12-4-13-2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/obama_lies_big_12-4-13-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1295,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/obama-derangement-syndrome\/","url_meta":{"origin":1846,"position":3},"title":"Obama Derangement Syndrome?","author":"victorhanson","date":"December 29, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Victor Davis Hanson PJ Media I\u2019d say if you live in the United States of America and you vote for George Bush, you\u2019ve lost your mind. \u2014 John Edwards When does the legitimate \u201cI oppose Obama\u201d descend into the illegitimate \u201cI hate Obama\u201d? It is popular now to suggest\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Punditry"","block_context":{"text":"Punditry","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/opinion\/punditry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1969,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ten-lessons-from-obama\/","url_meta":{"origin":1846,"position":4},"title":"Ten Lessons from Obama","author":"victorhanson","date":"October 8, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Victor Davis Hanson National Review Online The election of Barack Obama brought all sorts of contradictions. A man with about the least prior executive experience in presidential history was suddenly acclaimed a \u201cgod\u201d and the smartest man ever to assume the office. Most important, a number of critical changes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/obama-administration\/commentary-obama-administration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6037,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/you-dont-say\/","url_meta":{"origin":1846,"position":5},"title":"You Don’t Say . . .","author":"victorhanson","date":"June 10, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Victor Davis Hanson NRO's\u00a0The Corner Barack Obama in his weekly radio address accused opponents of comprehensive immigration reform of rank partisan politics: \u201cThey\u2019ll try to stoke fear and create division. They\u2019ll try to play politics with an issue.\u201d He should know: Here is what he advised Latino groups before\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Punditry"","block_context":{"text":"Punditry","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/opinion\/punditry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1846"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1846"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1846\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1847,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1846\/revisions\/1847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}