you're a crazy person

11/14/2009 12:17:23 AM

you're a towel

11/14/2009 12:51:21 AM

I'm inclined to give the President the benefit of the doubt while bowing in Japan, but he is a head of state . . . he is metaphorically and physically showing his ass here.

11/14/2009 8:16:10 PM

Bowing is just dumb in general, and Obama always seems to do a super bow. Not a fan.

11/14/2009 11:42:29 PM

lol

you people will rail the man for anything

11/15/2009 12:08:10 AM

He looks like a submissive tool, I can totally see Michelle in a leather BDSM costume whipping him on a leash as he says "yes ma'am may i have another"

11/15/2009 12:19:46 AM

^^ There are a lot of good reasons to dislike Barack Obama. That being said, when he is abroad he is the representative of the people of the United States. Granted yes, we practically bow to the Saudis every day with our oil consumption and granted yes, this Administrations economic policies are likely going to set us up for a decade of stagnant growth like the Japanese have experienced, but as the head of state of a sovereign nation, you are the equal of every other head of state.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/11/obama-emperor-akihito-japan.html

I mean, lets be honest, Bush got made fun of because he looked like a monkey. I'm absolutely no fan of George W. Bush for a wide range of reasons, but critiquing Barack Obama on his international protocol as the head of state is a valid argument, especially since internationally he has absolutely nothing to show (at least so far, we're only one year in) for his supplication.

11/15/2009 9:37:10 AM

Now when he gets to China..Obama should bow. We owe them a lot of money. Maybe he can wash the Chinese leaders cars while he's there.

11/15/2009 10:26:00 AM

why do conservatives even care about stupid shit like this?

MATT DRUDGE POSTED THIS PICTURE ON HIS WEBSITE, MUST GET ANGRY

11/15/2009 2:35:59 PM

I think the big issue (ignoring those that just want to criticize Obama for anything) is that it shows again that he (or his staff) really don't do any research into proper customs and etiquette. A bow so deep is a bow of submission or lower status. If you watch the video, he's much closer to a proper bow when he greets the empress.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kyD_e0Y7FQ

Yes bowing is a sign of respect in Asian cultures, but would it really kill the president to find out what the proper form would be before meeting the head of another nation?

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/11/on-president-obamas-bow-to-the-japanese-emperor-an-academic-friend-writes-that-both-the-left-and-the-right-are-wrong.html

Quote :

""Obama's handshake/forward lurch was so jarring and inappropriate it recalls Bush's back-rub of Merkel. "Kyodo News is running his appropriate and reciprocated nod and shake with the Empress, certainly to show the president as dignified, and not in the form of a first year English teacher trying to impress with Karate Kid-level knowledge of Japanese customs. "The bow as he performed did not just display weakness in Red State terms, but evoked weakness in Japanese terms....The last thing the Japanese want or need is a weak looking American president and, again, in all ways, he unintentionally played that part."

And as the ABC link and the LA Times link point out, we as a country haven't been so forgiving of our presidents social faux pas in the past. Neither for Bush nor for Clinton, so why so much forgiveness for Obama?

11/15/2009 5:35:21 PM

it's relative.

the right reamed Clinton for his, and the left reamed Bush for his.

Welcome to da USA. We LOVE division.

11/15/2009 9:02:24 PM

Quote :

"but critiquing Barack Obama on his international protocol as the head of state is a valid argument"

sure. on legitimate issues. unfortunately issues of this caliber are a dish best served to rush limbaugh or one of those other rightwing goons. how is this anything other than respectful? he has to have "something to show" in order to bow? give me a break.

11/15/2009 10:53:01 PM

maybe his deep bow has something to do with the enormous height disparity between the two?

11/16/2009 12:53:26 AM

Quote :

" Here's a stimulus success story: In Arizona's 9th Congressional District, 30 jobs have been saved or created with just $761,420 in federal stimulus spending. At least that's what the website set up by the Obama Administration to track the $787 billion stimulus says. There's one problem, though: There is no 9th Congressional District in Arizona; the state has only eight Congressional Districts. There's no 86th Congressional District in Arizona either, but the government's recovery.gov Web site says $34 million in stimulus money has been spent there. In fact, Recovery.gov lists hundreds of millions spent and hundreds of jobs created in Congressional districts that don't exist."

http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=9097853

[Edited on November 16, 2009 at 9:36 PM. Reason : lnk]

11/16/2009 9:36:36 PM

^ quality

^^ Yeah, I can see what you mean, but eye contact is considered respectful in Japanese culture, he wasn't anywhere near that. Again, I don't think he really meant anything by it, but it shows poor research. He isn't after all, speaking for himself when he is abroad, he is speaking for all of us. Despite our many flaws, we're still entitled to look another head of state in the eye.

11/16/2009 10:22:34 PM

i've always heard the japanese consider a lot of direct eye contact rude

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=japanese+culture+eye+contact&aq=f&aqi=&oq=&fp=94f5bc3d92523f1a

first few of these thinks seem to back that up

[Edited on November 16, 2009 at 10:30 PM. Reason : research]

[Edited on November 16, 2009 at 10:31 PM. Reason : ^^ouch. story has legs hopefully.]

[Edited on November 16, 2009 at 10:37 PM. Reason : "should be"...]

11/16/2009 10:29:02 PM

more specifically, making eye contact in a bow is considered a sign of mutual respect, IIRC. I could be wrong. If Obama was a private citizen he would be free to bow as he sees fit, but as the head of state of two friendly nations, the bow should be mutual.

11/16/2009 10:32:22 PM

LoneSnark's post really should be emphasized--and the facts investigated:

Exclusive: Jobs 'Saved or Created' in Congressional Districts That Don't Exist
Nov. 16, 2009

Quote :

"The reporting problems are not limited to Arizona, ABC News found. In Oklahoma, recovery.gov lists more than $19 million in spending -- and 15 jobs created -- in yet more congressional districts that don't exist. In Iowa, it shows $10.6 million spent  and 39 jobs created -- in nonexistent districts. In Connecticut's 42nd district (which also does not exist), the Web site claims 25 jobs created with zero stimulus dollars. The list of spending and job creation in fictional congressional districts extends to U.S. territories as well. -$68.3 million spent and 72.2 million spent in the 1st congressional district of the U.S. Virgin Islands. -$8.4 million spent and 40.3 jobs created in the 99th congressional district of the U.S. Virgin Islands. -$1.5 million spent and .3 jobs created in the 69th district and $35 million for 142 jobs in the 99th district of the Northern Mariana Islands. -$47.7 million spent and 291 jobs created in Puerto Rico's 99th congressional district."

http://tinyurl.com/ykta6vb

If the Bush administration had done something like this, many here would be going apeshit, flinging their own feces on the walls in anger.

Follow-up:

Quote :

"A document from the Office of Management and Budget obtained by ABC News shows that before an Oct. 30 progress report on the government stimulus program the administration asked the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board to remove information from 12 stimulus recipients that contained 'unrealistic data,' including 'unrealistic job data.' OMB deputy director Rob Nabors, pictured, said that most of the information that stimulus recipients provided to the government was good. (/ABC News)"

http://tinyurl.com/yhhapy5

And there's this great news:

Millions will have to repay part of tax credit (AP)
22 hours ago

Quote :

"WASHINGTON — More than 15 million taxpayers may owe the government $250 or more because of how the IRS last spring set up President Barack Obama's tax break that was designed to help consumers spend the U.S. economy out of recession. Individuals with more than one job and married couples in which both spouses work may have to repay the government $400, either through a smaller tax refund or a larger tax bill, according to a report released Monday by the Treasury Department's inspector general for tax administration. Social Security recipients who also earn taxable wages may have to repay $250. The tax credit, which is supposed to pay individuals up to $400 and couples up to $800, was Obama's signature tax break in the massive stimulus package enacted in February. The credit has increased weekly paychecks for 95 percent of working families, giving them cash to help boost consumer spending during the worst economic recession in decades."

http://tinyurl.com/y8gayqe

[Edited on November 17, 2009 at 4:17 PM. Reason : PS: ]

11/17/2009 4:15:04 PM

^Buuuh...but, the stimulus will keep the unemployment rate under 8%

11/17/2009 4:25:37 PM

^ Yeah, is there anything the Obama administration says that isn't a lie or does that isn't a rip-off?

11/17/2009 5:21:09 PM

How fucking stupid do you have to be where you make up districts with fake numbers and then think that nobody will fact check you.

11/17/2009 9:46:47 PM

This administration is flat out LYING to the American public.....only the hardcore lefties will defend him now. You can mark my words right here folks...come tax season, Obamas approval rating will be in the 30s.

11/17/2009 10:14:26 PM

MARK

MY

WORDS

11/17/2009 10:18:18 PM

Quote :

"...come tax season"

This is some paranoid hilarity.

How exactly did he covertly change the tax code in such a way as to affect us this April?

11/17/2009 10:21:53 PM

didn't payroll taxes go down?

i know mine did.

11/17/2009 10:23:28 PM

^If 150 million people have to pay higher taxes this year, it will absolutely damage Obama. Ohh wait, your lefties...nevermind carry on.

I love how you guys constantly blame Bush for lying (at least he had multiple sources inside and outside the US backing his decision as well as congress), yet here we have an administration blatantly lying to make its policies look good and you all are on the sidelines....



[Edited on November 17, 2009 at 10:38 PM. Reason : .]

11/17/2009 10:37:35 PM

you're painting with a mighty broad brush, chief.

11/17/2009 10:44:05 PM

Some serious partisan rage here...

Quote :

""We report what the recipients submit to us," said Ed Pound, Communications Director for the Board. Pound told ABC News the board receives declarations from the recipients - state governments, federal agencies and universities - of stimulus money about what program is being funded. "Some recipients clearly don't know what congressional district they live in, so they appear to be just throwing in any number. We expected all along that recipients would make mistakes on their congressional districts, on jobs numbers, on award amounts, and so on. Human beings make mistakes," Pound said. "

It appears that the problem is with the recipients of the money, and perhaps with the standards by which they are judged for receiving money. Some of them might be fraud, some of them might be accidents. There is no evidence that the administration is engaging in any wrongdoing, and considering they made this process available for public viewing, I would think they would be smarter than that.

The second article seems to show that because of the above, the administration did not have good numbers about the stimulus, but they discovered the problem on their own and have worked to revise them to be more accurate.

Am I missing something that I should be enraged about?

11/17/2009 10:50:19 PM

ohh Ok. Glad they got their numbers straight after a few months.....

11/17/2009 10:57:27 PM

Well, the stimulus bill seems to be working out just fine... Hey, let's turn over our health-care now to that same gov't.

11/17/2009 11:14:11 PM

LOL! Even the Democrats are going after the Obama administration.

Obey slams White House over stimulus reporting errors
November 18, 2009

Quote :

"WASHINGTON -- Less than two weeks after calling for a second financial boost to stimulate job creation, Rep. Dave Obey chided the Obama administration for reporting errors on the first economic recovery package. 'The inaccuracies on recovery.gov that have come to light are outrageous, and the administration owes itself, the Congress and every American a commitment to work night and day to correct the ludicrous mistakes,' Obey said in a statement issued late Monday."

Quote :

"'Credibility counts in government, and stupid mistakes like this undermine it,' Obey said about the inaccuracies. 'We've got too many serious problems in this country to let that happen.'"

http://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com/article/20091118/WRT0101/911180685/1805/WRT01

NAACP, others call for more stimulus jobs
Nov. 17, 2009

Quote :

"WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- The NAACP, noting unemployment among blacks tops 15 percent, joined other organizations in calling on U.S. President Barack Obama to do more to create jobs. The organizations -- including the AFL-CIO and the Hispanic advocacy group National Council of La Raza -- say they will tell the administration Tuesday they believe the president's $787 billion stimulus program has not gone far enough to fight unemployment, The New York Times reported."

Quote :

"'It's time for us to really stoke this issue up,' said Hilary O. Shelton, NAACP senior vice president for advocacy and policy."

http://tinyurl.com/y98epg3

11/18/2009 10:20:34 AM

LOL!

11/18/2009 10:25:15 AM

^ Yes, now you have a firm grasp of the obvious.

11/18/2009 10:38:53 AM

Quote :

"Am I missing something that I should be enraged about?"

nope, this is just the typical partisan politics.

11/18/2009 12:28:44 PM

Omg Dems actually criticize a sitting President from their own party?

Shocking.

11/18/2009 2:03:17 PM

some one on my facebook feed posted this video with the caption "Don't think Obama is a muslim? Watch this!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=tCAffMSWSzY#t=28

after watching a few minutes into it...
1) I don't see that he admits to being a muslim..and even if he did I have no problems with it...this is a country of free religion.
2) If you will notice the Egyptian flag in the background every time he speaks of Islam in that particular speech...He knows his audience and in my opinion is doing the right thing in order to win favor in the muslim world...which Bush did a fantastic job of pissing all over.

and no i'm not Muslim in case you were wondering...

Quote :

"Obama admits that he is a Muslim. Obama bowing before a Muslim king. Obama talking about his Muslim family. Obama quoting from the Koran. Obama defending Islam. Obama visiting a Mosque. And many more clips of Obama and his Muslim connections."

Also i found this really amusing...apparently its wrong for him to bow before a king? lolz He's showing respect...if he were in Japan he'd be bowing too out of respect.

[Edited on November 18, 2009 at 3:13 PM. Reason : .]

11/18/2009 3:12:20 PM

Quote :

"The organizations -- including the AFL-CIO and the Hispanic advocacy group National Council of La Raza -- say they will tell the administration Tuesday they believe the president's $787 billion stimulus program has not gone far enough to fight unemployment, The New York Times reported"

Well, that's because the stimulus bill was little more than a gigantic pork bill which contained the democrats' wish list from the past eight years. Nothing more, nothing less. It shouldn't be surprising that such a bill didn't create jobs. What happened to all of the supposed infrastructure projects it was supposed to fund? Shovel ready stuff, right? I forget where I saw this, but apparently a small percentage of the porkulus bill actually went to infrastructure, despite how the bill was publicized.

11/18/2009 8:36:35 PM

Quote :

"If We Don’t Act Swiftly And Boldly, We Could See A Much Deeper Economic Downturn That Could Lead To Double Digit Unemployment And The American Dream Slipping Further And Further Out Of Reach. That’s Why We Need An American Recovery And Reinvestment Plan that not only creates jobs in the short-term but spurs economic growth and competitiveness in the long-term. And this plan must be designed in a new way—we can’t just fall into the old Washington habit of throwing money at the problem."

And now 10.2%. We can't even use his stupid graph any more.

11/18/2009 10:32:21 PM

Don't use facts, Mangy. It only confuses them.

11/18/2009 10:38:18 PM

SNARKY

11/18/2009 10:55:10 PM

U.S. GDP rises 3.5% as stimulus kicks in
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-gdp-rises-35-as-stimulus-kicks-in-2009-10-29

They were way off the mark on the unemployment rate with or without the stimulus, but you’d have to be an idiot to think that no jobs were created as a result of the stimulus, or that the stimulus didn’t help anything. These are fairly self-evident facts that the stimulus has had a positive effect.

The only real question is if it’s the kind of thing, on principle, the gov. should be doing.

11/19/2009 12:10:23 AM

There is no doubt the stimulus created jobs, it just paid millions of dollars for each one. And the vast majority of jobs it created were government jobs shuffling paperwork and further impacting the lives of American citizens.

As such, even if stimulus is a good idea, which I seriously doubt, the stimulus we got was so bad that it would have still be a terrible idea even if a foreign entity had volunteered to pay for it for free with no debt obligation.

11/19/2009 4:10:40 PM

So, Obama said, and on national television, no less, that the 9/11 guys would be convicted. How bout that, the President corrupting the proceedings of a trial. hot damn!

11/19/2009 7:45:25 PM

^ how? he's not involved in trying them. that's like a mayor of a city saying an axe murderer will be brought to justice. big whoop.

11/19/2009 7:50:10 PM

Politico had a pretty scathing article about the administration today:

Quote :

"Why the Greg Craig debacle matters By ELIZABETH DREW | 11/19/09 1:58 PM EST President Barack Obama is returning from his trek to Asia Thursday to a capital that is a considerably more dangerous place for him than when he departed. While he was abroad, there was a palpable sense at home of something gone wrong. A critical mass of influential people who once held big hopes for his presidency began to wonder whether they had misjudged the man. Most significant, these doubters now find themselves with a new reluctance to defend Obama at a phase of his presidency when he needs defenders more urgently than ever. This is the price Obama has paid with his complicity and most likely his active participation, in the shabbiest episode of his presidency: The firing by leaks of White House counsel Gregory Craig, a well-respected Washington veteran and influential early supporter of Obama. The people who are most aghast by the handling of the Craig departure can’t be dismissed by the White House as Republican partisans, or still-embittered Hillary Clinton supporters. They are not naïve activists who don’t understand that the exercise of power can be a rough business and that trade-offs and personal disappointments are inevitable. Instead, they are people, either in politics or close observers, who once held an unromantically high opinion of Obama. They were important to his rise, and are likely more important to the success or failure of his presidency than Obama or his distressingly insular and small-minded West Wing team appreciate."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29716.html


By the looks of it, the current administration is running the very real risk of turning into the insular White House that we saw in the last administration. The more he is confronted with negative publicity (something relatively new for the President) the more he reverts to his Chicago circle and their style of politics. A bit long but worth the look.

11/19/2009 7:54:01 PM

Quote :

"how? he's not involved in trying them. that's like a mayor of a city saying an axe murderer will be brought to justice. big whoop."

It's one thing to say they will be brought to justice. It's entirely another to say they will be found guilty.

11/19/2009 7:57:57 PM

the concept of justice hinges on someone being determined legally accountable. saying someone being brought to justice is the same thing as saying that said axe murderer will be found guilty. when the president says it, the only thing that's changed is that it's moved from a law-and-order statement to a political statement.

[Edited on November 19, 2009 at 8:08 PM. Reason : .]

11/19/2009 8:06:55 PM

Quote :

"It's one thing to say they will be brought to justice. It's entirely another to say they will be found guilty."

how the fuck else is one "brought to justice" in a court of law other than being found guilty and sentenced to some form of capital punishment?

11/19/2009 10:02:46 PM

Quote :

"how the fuck else is one "brought to justice" in a court of law other than being found guilty and sentenced to some form of capital punishment?"

LOL, ummm, lets see.... being found innocent and not sentenced to anything? Being awarded money for damages? Injunctions?

11/19/2009 10:06:23 PM

"found innocent?" Your Crim Law professor would bring you up in front of the classroom for that one I'm sure. It is "found not guilty."

11/19/2009 10:09:06 PM