Obama's Tin Ear - Williamsburg Edition

I've been reading the usual blogs and websites this morning and while I've read a lot about O's speech to his fans last night at the House Congressional Caucus retreat at an expensive resort in Williamsburg, I haven't read any comments on two things he said that I thought would be jumped on:

First, he thanked the assembled retreaters for giving him the opportunity to use Air Force One. So let me get this straight - the administration and party that has been fanning the flames of wealth envy and damning the fat cat corporate executives for even owning executive aircraft is not only already sick of the White House, it is looking for any excuse to rev up the engines of what is probably the most expensive corporate jet in the world to take a 10 minute flight a two hour drive south of D.C. Was Marine One in the shop? Did O not realize his speech was being broadcast to an audience that might be composed of a significant percentage of non-Democrats? Wow!

Second, the little throwaway line about how Rahm is dedicating some of his free time to underprivileged kids by coaching them on the finer points of profanity. Maybe this would have worked at the Alfalfa dinner, but at a semi-public pep rally for his mindless supporters??? Wow! Again!

Should be an Interesting Year

The election was so deflating I took a few months off. Didn't even watch much of the cable news professional wrestler shoutathons - especially after my wife, in a cost-cutting move scaled back our Dish Network viewing package and the only cable newser we were left with was CNN and its offspring. It was actually a delight going back to watch "Frasier" and "Seinfeld" reruns.

I put forth the opinion in October (actually it may have even been September) that McCain couldn't and perhaps shouldn't win the election. My reasoning was that the coming few years were going to be so brutal that the odds of success, no matter who was in office, were slim. Therefore, it would be better for Obama to get in and fail than a Republican. Also, McCain was a lame candidate who would have been a lame president. Looking back, he wasn't much better than Bob Dole, and Bob Dole turned into a decent guy after his defeat. McCain is slowly migrating back to his aisle-straddling self and will be pissing off conservatives again before you know it.

So as I watch Obama fumbling through his first two weeks in office, I can imagine equal (if not worse) golden age fumbling and dissembling going on. Good luck President Obama. You're going to need it.