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The "Disciplined" Obama vs. The "Creative" Clinton
June 25, 2009 11:31 AM
ABC News' David Chalian Reports:
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel walked a bit of a tightrope this morning when comparing and contrasting the styles of President Obama and Mr. Emanuel's former boss in the White House, Bill Clinton. He appeared to make certain he said nothing to offend President Clinton while painting the challenges facing President Obama as far tougher than those inherited by the 42nd president.
"Obama has one of the most disciplined minds I have ever seen," Emanuel said at a breakfast roundtable with reporters sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor. President Clinton has an "unbelievably creative mind," he said in a side by side comparison of sorts.
Mr. Emanuel sits in the rare position of having worked up close in the White House for both President Clinton and President Obama. A couple of weeks ago in the "Inside the Obama White House" special, NBC News' Brian Williams asked Mr. Emanuel to do some comparative analysis, but he demurred.
Today, Emanuel mused aloud about the two Democratic presidents he served.
"The world that they are dealing with is fundamentally different," said Emanuel. "President Obama has what Clinton had by a quotient of 10," he added.
No hard feelings to the sensitive Mr. Clinton, though. Mr. Emanuel said he loved working for Mr. Clinton and called him a "very significant president."
He offered those kind words before launching into high praise for President Obama's speech to the Muslim world in Cairo earlier this month.
"I think that Cairo speech will go down as one of the most significant speeches given by a president," he said.
He then conspicuously compared it to the speeches of Kennedy and Reagan. Not those of Bill Clinton.
June 25, 2009 in President Obama | Permalink | Share | User Comments (4)
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It may have been a "significant" speech but all Obama has is words. With the increasing violence in Iran, Obama has been curiously silent and without vision. He has used words such as "apalled". That is a word my grandmother would use, not the president of the United States. Obama might be a wonderful reader of a teleprompter but all I hear is "just words".
Posted by: mccollegemom | Jun 26, 2009 10:10:35 AM
All you hear is "words", would you rather hear taps for dead soldiers? Should we invade Iran and start WWIII? You would rather hear people wailing in grief over their dead loves one? What the heck do you want to hear, if you are not happy with Obama's diplomacy? The President avoided giving Iran's leaders a reason to claim their unrest was incited by the West. How do you not GET how important that is?
Posted by: Amy B Maine | Jun 26, 2009 10:30:38 AM
Umm,
You are not hearing the "taps" for dead soldiers because the media is not informing the people about the escalation in violence in both Iran and Afghanistan since Obama has taken over. Check the facts out before you claim that Obama has brought peace. He has not.
Posted by: mccollegemom | Jun 26, 2009 3:07:44 PM
President Obama should be compared
to Jimmy Carter and Jimmy Carter only!
Both weak on foreign policy and
both clueless on the economy.
This is Carter's second term and will
be Obama's last!
Posted by: reaganfan | Jun 26, 2009 5:40:59 PM
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