“It’s all right in politics to be clever,” said George F. Will last week, “but you don’t want to look like you’re trying to be clever, because that looks tricky and sneaky.”
Will, who has recently jumped ship from ABC to Fox News, was identifying the autocratic nature of current national politics. He did this on his premiere appearance on Fox’s The Kelly File, starring Megyn Kelly.
“And, in fact, as the president continues to waive this and suspend that in the exercise of what he calls ‘enforcement discretion,’ the American people are beginning to feel that the law is in constant flux. And if the law is in constant flux … there is no law.…”
In a Washington Post column earlier in the week, Will identified the president’s personal flaw at the heart of the tragedy. Obama has always thought of himself as an extremely clever fellow, and as a result of his (perhaps undue) self-esteem, has often been bored. Bored, even, with competence.
For Ms. Kelly’s audience, Will painted the problem in the broader context of Democratic Progressivism. It’s been a hundred years since the disastrous reign of Woodrow Wilson, another clever fellow hailing from the Ivy Leage. Obama’s parallels with Wilson are apparent, and it’s no wonder that “Obamacare is collapsing under the weight of accumulated cleverness,” Will states, perceptively — well, at least echoing what I wrote a few weekends ago on Townhall.com.
America doesn’t need super-clever (much less faux-clever) leaders. The country, on the brink of insolvency, needs wise ones.
But Barack Obama, self-diagnosed clever person, seems more interested in appearance than reality, and is, in the end, merely tricky and sneaky.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
8 replies on “A Too-Clever Prez?”
Obama is a Chicago thug, who learned his lessons in gang-style Chicago, and continues to practice his “craft” in the same manner. He needs impeachment to bring his omnipotence down to earth.
.… Obama has always thought of himself as an extremely clever fellow .…
A quite common error among the pathologically narcissistic, of whom the dangerously-dullard pretender is the definitive example.
An aspect of high intelligence is that only the highly intelligent are capable of recognizing one another and of being aware of an encounter with a superior intellect.
Thus while it’s possible for even such of the dangerously dullard as Zero to fool some of We, The People some of the time and even more of We The People all of the time, he cannot fool We, The Intelligent People any of the time.
And never has — but has no clue he hasn’t!
I have searched assiduously for this Obama “competence” you spoke of, but have been unable to find any.
The most clever president from the Ivy League was the imbecile George Bush. Bushy Wushy got us into two wars that were unpaid for along with a prescription drug benefit that was unpaid for. Those along with his tax cut for the rich and you add 5 trillion dollars to the deficit.
Bushy Wushy, the idiot drunk coke snorter!!!!!
I rarely disagree with you over the past many years, but one word makes my blood boil. “leader” I entitled an article, “Leader? I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Leader”
Let us rather advocate for self leadership and accountability every chance we get.
Otherwise, as usual excellent point, well said.
Moving forward through higher education not by ability but by affirmative action = extremely clever. That’s the cleverness of a con man; it’s not the knowledge and judgment of a professional. Note that Mr. Extreme Cleverness got through Harvard Law School (via affirmative action) but couldn’t pass the bar exam.
Wise?
Clever?
Do people in Washington know the difference?
The culture of “give me” is so prevalent in our society, that I don’t think Mr. Obama’s sly, cleverness will ever be seen for what it is, social engineering & the utter control of the American people. Baa, baa, baa, says the sheep.