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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Apology Tour

So did Obama go on an "apology tour"?  Cannily, he nowhere uses that phrase directly.  I would stupidly have been more direct, uttering the words "apology tour" and thereby giving the opposition a sound byte -- Jon Stewart would plotz.  Yes, I am in the habit of imagining myself in positions of world influence.

Replies Obama, "Nothing Governor Romney just said is true, starting with this notion of me apologizing. This has been probably the biggest whopper that's been told during the course of this campaign. And every fact checker and every reporter who's looked at it, Governor, has said this is not true." [Taken from an uncorrected transcript, by which is meant a um er eh ach huh ergh euxxgheqqaxfhdewwad3j9fr corrected transcript.]

Obama goes on about how that Cairo etc tour was about visiting troops and not accepting campaign contributions and visiting museums. "So that's how I've used my travels, when I travel to Israel and when I travel to the region. And the — the central question at this point is going to be: Who is going to be credible to all parties involved?"   Non-responsive you say?  I could not possibly comment.  Except that you are a racist.

Is there a case of Obamnesia going on here?  Let us examine the matter.  From the White House release of the Cairo speech, delivered with perfect elegance by Obama from his telepropters, right and left:
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT ON A NEW BEGINNING
...And finally, just as America can never tolerate violence by extremists, we must never alter or forget our principles. Nine-eleven was an enormous trauma to our country. The fear and anger that it provoked was understandable, but in some cases, it led us to act contrary to our traditions and our ideals. We are taking concrete actions to change course. I have unequivocally prohibited the use of torture by the United States, and I have ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed by early next year. [Adoring adulation.] So America will defend itself, respectful of the sovereignty of nations and the rule of law.
Well.  See?  Obama was right. Bush lied, by which I mean Romney.  Clearly Obama never uttered the word "applegoy", therefore there was no "apogee-izing".

On the other hand, and being perhaps a bit precious and pedantic, let us consider what an apology is.  It is not merely the utterance of the phrase, I apologize.  That in fact is not an apology.  The word itself, pedagogue that I am, means an exculpatory explanation.  You explain your actions, with the intent of excusing them, giving an impression that offending behavior will not happen again.

1) We were provoked to fear and anger; 2) this is understandable; 3) therefore we violated our ideals, to not torture; 4) the torture chamber is to be dismantled; 5) from now on we will respect other nations and the rule of law.  

What an adolescent.

Then there's the horses and bayonets thing.  "But I think [modesty] Governor Romney maybe [courtesy] hasn't spent enough time looking at how our military works [condescension]. You mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets [non sequitur], because the nature of our military's changed [confusion]. We have these things called aircraft carriers [condescension], where planes land on them [sarcasm and poor grammar]. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines [loc cit].        

"And so the question is not a game of Battleship, where we're counting ships. It's what are our capabilities. And so when I sit down with the Secretary of the Navy and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, we determine how are we going to be best able to meet all of our defense needs in a way that also keeps faith with our troops, that also makes sure that our veterans have the kind of support that they need when they come home."

Obama is implying that the Secretary of the Navy wants fewer ships? And keeping faith with our troops is maybe to not supply them with, you know, them useless things, bayonets.  I mean, Iraq ain't no trench warfare thing.  Sheesh.  And also something about when the troops come home, uh, fewer ships is good then too.  I'll have to speak with my son, about how useful bayonets are in combat nowadays.

Stating the obvious, comparing, conflating outmoded equipment like buggy whips and sulfa drugs (more apt examples) with SHIPS ... not so smart.  Obama got elected for a reason.  He can say nothing, or less than nothing, with authority.  As when he said gas prices were lower 4 years ago because we were going to enter a recession.  Huh?  Low gas prices caused the problem?  Wha?  But because it was some sort of "answer" -- in the sense that it followed a previous point and was delivered in an explanatory tone -- any further thought on the subject ceased.  It's a technique the cognoscenti will have known.  It's sort of new to me, this trick of giving any response as if it were responsive.

I of course am not world-renowned for my brilliance and eloquence, so it is petty of me to hold O to a high standard of grammar and diction.  And logic.  And civility.  Man that's whack, that I'm not world-renowned for my brilliance and eloquence.  I just can't get over that.  No justice, no peace.

And so, in conclusion, you remain very stupid for electing this empty-chair-Occupier.  Either get testicular cancer and have your medals stripped from you, or get smart.

Man you're dumb.


J

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