Once again, the President reminds us that we are in the midst of greatness:
"Yours is the first official state visit of my presidency, it is fitting that you and India be so recognized."
So let it be written. So let it be done.
H/T: National Review Online
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
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7 comments:
GG - I listened to the CSPAN coverage of the dinner last night on my way home from DC. Our First Lady did an admirable job of speaking to a group of local school children about the importance of state dinners and functions such as these. They had assembled a group of mentors from various departments for these 50 or so children and exposed them to a day of international relations. Yes, she threw in a brief comment about how her husband was changing the tone of international relations, but other than that, it was largely, a pretty likeable, apolitical presentation, and nicely delivered.
Subsequent to that, they had the President and the Native American Prime Minister...(what? It's okay to say "Indian" in this case? I get so confused)...doing their toasts to one another and one another's country. Our President spoke of our common interests and our common struggles and heritage (wow, could he be speaking of how we were both born of people who threw off the binds of colonial tyranny?). He then, in referring to "the Father of India", said "We have similar great figures in our countries, India's Ghandi and America's (let's see, Father of India, Ghandi and Father of the United States....) Martin Luther King."
Wow. Could this guy be any less clear in where he sees this nation as having begun?
It's a sign of a powerful dedication to willful ignorance when someone asserts he *really* thinks the President of the United States believes MLK founded this country. You heard what you wanted to hear. Here's the real quote:
“It’s the bond of friendship between a president and a prime minister who are bound by the same unshakeable spirit of possibility and brotherhood that transformed both our nations, the spirit that gave rise to movements led by Gandhi and King and which are the reason that both of us can stand here tonight.”
He was being polite. A good host. Getting upset over this is like when liberals got bent about Bush serving hot dogs, it's a sign that you've lost your way.
...and the King/Ghandi comparison is apt, by the way, since King *was* inspired by Ghandi and one might argue it would be odd for Obama to not acknowledge that.
SM - I am certain the President is aware of the founders. I, being a bit of a student of both MLK and Ghandi, am also aware of their bonds, common philosophies, mutual respect and profound impact on their societies, indeed the world. And, like you, I agree that there is actually more in common between the two men President Obama cited than Ghandi and George Washington, unless you lock into the context of "Father of India"..."Father of the United States" as I did.
You will have to take my word for it that I was listening in a positive light, impressed with first, the First Lady's, and then the President's grace as hosts. The only moment of anything but well-orchestrated hospitality was when, upon raising his glass to toast, the President noted the Prime Minister had not been provided a glass so I was wondering if the staffer who failed to have seen to that bit of protocol received an appropriate upbraiding upon completion of the event. But the President handled it perfectly with his customarily smooth humor. In other words, I was not really looking to become "willfully ignorant" as you allege.
But, although not looking to become such, when reading GG's post today, I may well have stumbled into just that appearance of "willful ignorance" because of my concern, based on countless other indicators, that this President is none-too-proud of this country before the time of Dr. King...and, one could make the case, none-too-proud of this country until such time as he came to office to rescue it.
Your assertion that I took his context about "the father of India" which you do not quote or reference, and his juxtaposition of Dr. King shortly thereafter, which you do quote, to be "what I wanted to hear" has some merit but I would correct it to be "what I have become accustomed to hearing" for I have no desire to hear my President speak ashamedly about our country. I'll give you the win on this one, due to my sloppiness in making my point. I took a rather nicely done evening, overseen by our President and First Lady, and overseen well, I might add, and made it seem less than that. I agree that he meant nothing, this time, to denigrate our country or its heritage.
SM-1, Mudge-0. Thanks for calling me on this one.
We play "I-shots" at our house. Every time he says "I" we take a shot. We also take bonus shots for "my Administration inherited..." and "Unprecedented." I'm usually FUBAR'd halfway through the speech.
Do you think the same staffer responsible for the Prime Minister's wine glass was also responsible for screening the party crashers?
He is the Sun God, the God of past, present, and future. He is pantheistic and pathological. He transcends logic and reason. He is his own Gayatri Mantra. He has achieved self actualization through his own being. He is OBAMA.
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