Out of Africa

GetReal - I don't really care about the President 's golf game. I am thrilled he has an outlet to relieve stress through basketball and golf and would be more concerned if he didn't.

Bush cleared brush at Crawford, JFK sailed, Reagan rode horses. It's healthy.

Cabinet members count as work. I think GetReal you would be well served to find some balance and Get Real.

JKS inspired me to do the research on the president's golf games. The article you must have gotten your "11 times in the first six months" figure from is the first one you hit on google. If you read the whole thing, you learn that it was written in mid-June. He's golfed a few times since then. You also learn that most of the golfing has come in recent months, a fact you ignore to focus on the 3 times being on vacation. So with further research, I learned that the president golfed the last two weekends in May, every weekend in June plus an extra game (he golfed both June 7th and June 9th), and on the Fourth of July before leaving on his trip. He was out of the country doing his job last weekend and got home after midnight this Saturday. He did not make it to church Sunday morning, as you would expect after the long trip, but he did make it to the golf course.

Who cares? I do. I have to read all these messages gushing about what an amazing hardworking perfect person he is. As John Stewart said on the Daily Show, "That's Great. Now Fix the Economy."

"He golfs almost every weekend. This is getting ridiculous."

Obama has played golf 11 times in 6 months. 3 of those rounds were while he was on vacation.

Even if Obama did golf "almost every weekend" - who cares?

I do not ever ever ever want to read another comment here about how Bush just holed up in his office while the wonderful Obama is always working his tail off to fix our country. The man just got back from a weeklong trip overseas and he spent Sunday, again, on the golf course. He is never going to find a new church this way. Shouldn't he be getting ready to dive back into dealing with the big issues going on here like the economy and health care and Afghanistan? He golfs almost every weekend. This is getting ridiculous.

Posted by: danita | Jul 12, 2009 2:13:41 AM

Elections? Not sure what you meant by your post.

My point in posting that quote was to point out that Obama says a lot of things. You say "he speaks with great pride of America" and I see some of that in his speech. But I also see him speaking poorly of Chavez and as President I see him joking with Chavez.

I think Obama is a chameleon and I don't put much stock in his words. For me, he is just another eloquent politician with an agenda I don't agree with.

He's not seriously pointing to the U.S. as a model of good governance, is he?

The democratic elections in Venezuela were monitored by international organizations and received praise for their orderly and proper conduct. President Chavez was elected legitimately by democratic election - and has been before.

The elections in Iran appear to be a horse of a different color. I have not heard of the election being internationally monitored, so we have no way of accurately assessing what went on. At least, I don't think the elections there were monitored.

President Obama has often said the United States is a beacon to the rest of the world, to show what can be accomplished when people work together under democracy; he speaks with great pride of America - on the other hand he hasn't called it flawless either. I think this is honest and true. Better than pasting things over with lies and arrogance.

I believe he's a VERY proud American and is very proud of the emancipation that took place in America - another beacon to the world.

Posted by: danita | Jul 11, 2009 9:17:21 PM
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In a speech on May 23, 2008, Miami Florida, Obama had this to say:

"We take common pride in a vibrant and diverse democracy, and a hard-earned prosperity."

"What all of us strive for is freedom as FDR described it. Political freedom. Religious freedom. But also freedom from want, and freedom from fear. At our best, the United States has been a force for these four freedoms in the Americas. But if we're honest with ourselves, we'll acknowledge that at times we've failed to engage the people of the region with the respect owed to a partner."

Then he talks about the failures of Bush in Latin America. Obama goes on to say:

"No wonder, then, that demagogues like Hugo Chavez have stepped into this vacuum. His predictable yet perilous mix of anti-American rhetoric, authoritarian government, and checkbook diplomacy offers the same false promise as the tried and failed ideologies of the past. But the United States is so alienated from the rest of the Americas that this stale vision has gone unchallenged, and has even made inroads from Bolivia to Nicaragua. And Chavez and his allies are not the only ones filling the vacuum. While the United States fails to address the changing realities in the Americas, others from Europe and Asia – notably China – have stepped up their own engagement. Iran has drawn closer to Venezuela, and just the other day Tehran and Caracas launched a joint bank with their windfall oil profits."

President Obama SAYS a lot of things. Whether he means them or not, we'll judge in four years. From his words in that speech, I look forward to President Obama standing up to Chavez and Iran.

On to progress...@MrkLeavenworth

MayBee . ..

President Obama has often said the United States is a beacon to the rest of the world, to show what can be accomplished when people work together under democracy; he speaks with great pride of America - on the other hand he hasn't called it flawless either. I think this is honest and true. Better than pasting things over with lies and arrogance.

I believe he's a VERY proud American and is very proud of the emancipation that took place in America - another beacon to the world.

I'll take a powerful voice (expected from the Bully Pulpit from FDR to Reagan to Clinton) any day over "the decider" "staying the course."
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Iraq is darn lucky "the decider" chose to "stay the course" rather than abandon it once the violence got extreme. Obama will have to be the decider soon enough in Afghanistan.

I have no problem with a powerful voice, it's attributing it to biography rather than actions/platform/results that I said was a political tactic.

Can't fault foreigners too much for faults in their skills at hunting for opportunities to create a tactical re-positioning.

Just to point out "Africa" is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent with approximately a billion people in 61 territories.
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Yes, that's why I used the term "African Nations" in the next sentence.

Africa is a continent not a country -
Our country has relations with countries not continents

And to President Obama's credit he praised President Bush's outreach in Ghana in his speech to the Parliament i Ghana today

Can we just be proud that people around the world think so highly of our President and give the man more than five months for everything to be fixed?

As learned today with Cheney's secret CIA group - all the secrets aren't even out yet --

===I'll take a powerful voice (expected from the Bully Pulpit from FDR to Reagan to Clinton) any day over "the decider" "staying the course."

Posted by: jhw539 | Jul 11, 2009 6:11:44 PM===

You have him. Now let's see how much progress he can achieve with that powerful voice that spouts whatever is required to achieve the political tactic the Administration message makers are developing on that particular day.

Many different countries, many different peoples, many different conflicts, many different states of democracy, many different resources, problems and so on. It is not at all a unified block. -Danita
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If African nations want to clean up their act, they will. The fact that many are corrupt is certainly not news to the corrupt leaders or the people.
-Maybee
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Maybe- You are right in a way to be cynical of the political tactics that are being made, but if truly a successful political tactic, it will be riding on a wave that is already in motion, seeking the appearance of successful leadership through appearing to make what is already certain. In this light is my hope that good government in all African nations is already in sight.

Danita's comment and her support for a recognition of the diversity in Africa (the continent also has the most genetic diversity per any area on earth), favors the view that something real and lasting is already taking place across the continent, though to hear a Brit talk about African diversity does make me suspicious of political tactics.

MayBee:"This "more powerful voice" because Obama is (fill in the blank) is a political tactic the Administration message makers are developing."

I'll take a powerful voice (expected from the Bully Pulpit from FDR to Reagan to Clinton) any day over "the decider" "staying the course."

"Africa had very good relations with both Clinton and Bush"

Just to point out "Africa" is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent with approximately a billion people in 61 territories. Many different countries, many different peoples, many different conflicts, many different states of democracy, many different resources, problems and so on. It is not at all a unified block.

Second, the president believes that because of his unique status as the first African-American U.S. president, he has a “more powerful voice,” the source said, when pushing African nations to get their own houses in order by embracing democratic, good governance and anti-corruption reforms
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There it is.
This "more powerful voice" because Obama is (fill in the blank) is a political tactic the Administration message makers are developing.

Africa had very good relations with both Clinton and Bush, and both gave positive and negative incentives for good African governance.
If African nations want to clean up their act, they will. The fact that many are corrupt is certainly not news to the corrupt leaders or the people.