Distraction is a hallmark of the Obama presidency

By Bob Taylor, Communities Digital News

Politics

14 hours ago

CHARLOTTE, February 26, 2014 – Sometimes you just get the feeling that Barack Obama wakes up in the morning and says to himself, “How can I screw with the American people today?”

Lately it seems as though the president sees his administration getting shorter by the day, so he is making decisions at warp speed to initiate as many of his pet philosophies as quickly as possible. Forget about the freeloaders and hangers-on who will support Obama regardless of what he does. Ignore the politicians who are obliged to follow party lines even if they might disagree with them. That is just politics as usual. But what about the rest of the country?

Certainly the media isn’t going to say anything about the current state of affairs. In fact, the administration is throwing so much “stuff” at the wall these days, even Barack Obama’s loyalist press cannot keep up with him. One thing is sure, when Obama leaves office, he has a surefire career ahead of him with Cirque du Soleil as a master juggler.

“I’ve got a pen and I’ve got a phone,” said the president and that may be the only promise he has kept during his five years in office. As if the non-scandal scandals that permeate the “most transparent” presidency in history, along with the healthcare fiasco, weren’t enough, the president has decided that reducing the military and telling state attorneys general they can ignore the law have now been added to controversy mix.

You really have to wonder whether this is an effort to get the ACA out of the national conversation or if it is an accelerated tactic to enact more of Obama’s misguided values before the leaves office. Perhaps it’s a combination of both.

Barack Obama’s expertise at creating controversy, whether by accident or design, makes the Clintons look like amateurs.

For eight years the American people were treated to images of George W. Bush as being a cowboy, but in his wildest imagination, Bush was never as lawless at Barack Obama. Some conspiracy theorists have speculated in recent years that when the time comes for Obama to be evicted from the White House that his contempt and disrespect for the Constitution may lead to a loophole that keeps him in power.

Even Obama’s most avid critics thought such an idea to be absurd beyond measure, but given some of the president’s recent maneuvers, it may not be as far-fetched as it seems. What authority exists that could stop him? Attorney General, Erik Holder? Not much of a roadblock.

Not only is Barack Obama never at fault, he is never wrong. It is a dangerous combination. One person out of more than 300 million citizens holds the most powerful position in the world and believes he is ordained to use that power to the nth degree because he believes he is also the smartest human being on the planet.

Never in American history has there been a president who has been so disengaged with issues of national interest, unless they are concerns that he personally deems important. Only then does Barack Obama act with decisiveness and expediency. All politicians are first and foremost self-severing, but none have ever reached the overbearing narcissism Barack Obama wields over the people who elected him. He is a man obsessed with his own authority.

The sad thing is that, as the first black president, Obama could have been a source for positive change unrivaled in American history. Instead, he squandered that opportunity, and, in the process, he has made a mockery of the presidency. Not because he is so important, but because he is so incredibly small. Not only has Barack Obama altered perceptions of statesmanship and diplomacy to their lowest levels in memory, he has also diminished American credibility and respect throughout the world.

To some that might seem like a failed presidency. It certainly represents five years of largely wasted time and money. To Barack Obama, however, this is a mark of success because he gives no indication of having any allegiance to a strong America regardless of how much that strength might represent a force for what is good in the world.

Night will soon be upon us. And Barack Obama will once again be in sweet repose, dreaming up new ideas to distract the media and the American people from the real issues of the day.

Bob Taylor has been traveling the world for more than 30 years as a writer and award winning television producer focusing on international events, people and cultures around the globe. Taylor is founder of The Magellan Travel Club (www.MagellanTravelClub.com).

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