I didn't mean to imply notes are never needed. Endure and Venturalaw are right, they are useful in many instances. But a teleprompter when speaking to children?

lannarebirth mentions process over substance. I think the reason that people are pointing out his over reliance of the teleprompter is not to distract from core issues but to simply note that it appears to be another indication that he is truly an empty suit. Otherwise, I agree. It shouldn't be an overly focused upon issue.

Absolutely correct.

I didn't mean to imply notes are never needed. Endure and Venturalaw are right, they are useful in many instances. But a teleprompter when speaking to children?

lannarebirth mentions process over substance. I think the reason that people are pointing out his over reliance of the teleprompter is not to distract from core issues but to simply note that it appears to be another indication that he is truly an empty suit. Otherwise, I agree. It shouldn't be an overly focused upon issue.

Absolutely correct.

Well, they're all empty suits to some degree. Bush 1 and Nixon knew or cared little for anything other than foreign policy. Bush 2 , Chenys lapdog. Clinton, perhaps the most gifted politician in at least half a century with deep knowledge of policy but constrained by the need to feel loved and thus failed to move the country forward. Reagan? Carter? C'mon!

The point is can they convey a message and back it up with a policy to effect positive change. None have lately and it's too early to tell with the new guy. He was handed a basket case nation.

I didn't mean to imply notes are never needed. Endure and Venturalaw are right, they are useful in many instances. But a teleprompter when speaking to children?

lannarebirth mentions process over substance. I think the reason that people are pointing out his over reliance of the teleprompter is not to distract from core issues but to simply note that it appears to be another indication that he is truly an empty suit. Otherwise, I agree. It shouldn't be an overly focused upon issue.

Absolutely correct.

Well, they're all empty suits to some degree. Bush 1 and Nixon knew or cared little for anything other than foreign policy. Bush 2 , Chenys lapdog. Clinton, perhaps the most gifted politician in at least half a century with deep knowledge of policy but constrained by the need to feel loved and thus failed to move the country forward. Reagan? Carter? C'mon!

The point is can they convey a message and back it up with a policy to effect positive change. None have lately and it's too early to tell with the new guy. He was handed a basket case nation.

Perhaps it is because an empty suit like a puppet is easily controlled

One of the worst things I saw in America during the last 10 years of my living there was the rise of "process over substance". Braying asses would go on endlessly over peripheral topics having nothing to do with core issues. Like this teleprompter thing.

because they have nothing else substantial to bitch about

Speaking about the US president talking to school children, and on THIS day in September too, what a coincidence!.........I recall footage of GWB with some school children, nonchalantly continuing after he was told by an aide that disaster had struck the country. It's the aniversary of that day, tomorrow isn't it?

What I dreamt Obama said:

What I Heard Obama say in a dream:

Gentlemen, he said,

I don't need your organization, I've shined your shoes,

I've moved your mountains and marked your cards

But Eden is burning, either brace yourself for elimination

Or else your hearts must have the courage for the changing of the guards.

Bob Dylan

Speaking about the US president talking to school children, and on THIS day in September too, what a coincidence!.........I recall footage of GWB with some school children, nonchalantly continuing after he was told by an aide that disaster had struck the country. It's the aniversary of that day, tomorrow isn't it?

I recall that incident as well. I would hardly call the look on his face as one of nonchalance. I wonder how Obama would have reacted...or Gore. You Bush haters need to give it a rest.

It was the anniversary of that date yesterday.

I'm sorry, this pointless diversion discussing his ability to give a speech seems to me not only an attempt at misdirecting the conversation but also an attempt to call into question his intelligence. Am I the only one who recalls the fact that not only is he a Constitutional scholar but a professor of it as well? Oh, well, never mind, that must all be force fed to him as well just like the teleprompter.

I'm sorry, this pointless diversion discussing his ability to give a speech seems to me not only an attempt at misdirecting the conversation but also an attempt to call into question his intelligence. Am I the only one who recalls the fact that not only is he a Constitutional scholar but a professor of it as well? Oh, well, never mind, that must all be force fed to him as well just like the teleprompter.

The fact that Obama is a constitutional scholar makes his decision to use tax payer moneys to bail out the auto industry in violation of the constitution's stated separation of powers particularly egregious. As far as the teleprompter issue, for him it's a prosthetic.

I'm sorry, this pointless diversion discussing his ability to give a speech seems to me not only an attempt at misdirecting the conversation but also an attempt to call into question his intelligence. Am I the only one who recalls the fact that not only is he a Constitutional scholar but a professor of it as well? Oh, well, never mind, that must all be force fed to him as well just like the teleprompter.

The fact that Obama is a constitutional scholar makes his decision to use tax payer moneys to bail out the auto industry in violation of the constitution's stated separation of powers particularly egregious. As far as the teleprompter issue, for him it's a prosthetic.

Agreed, and good of you to point out. I'd add that it's not the only violation of the constitution he supports.

sbk, what's the correlation between the use of a teleprompter and intelligence?

As a constitutional lawyer he should have also known the President has no authority to fire the General Motors CEO, regardless of his job performance.

Can Obama Save Us All?, The world has a new President

i am surprised that the two oxymorons embedded in one sentence still attract comments.

Can Obama Save Us All?, The world has a new President

i am surprised that the two oxymorons embedded in one sentence still attract comments.

I was keeping quiet in the hope that it might be true. After all, anyone would be better than Gordon Brown.

Can Obama Save Us All?, The world has a new President

i am surprised that the two oxymorons embedded in one sentence still attract comments.

I was keeping quiet in the hope that it might be true. After all, anyone would be better than Gordon Brown.

I hear Thaksin is available for public service . . .

Can Obama Save Us All?, The world has a new President

i am surprised that the two oxymorons embedded in one sentence still attract comments.

I was keeping quiet in the hope that it might be true. After all, anyone would be better than Gordon Brown.

I hear Thaksin is available for public service . . .

Let me rephrase - Almost anyone...

I'm sorry, this pointless diversion discussing his ability to give a speech seems to me not only an attempt at misdirecting the conversation but also an attempt to call into question his intelligence. Am I the only one who recalls the fact that not only is he a Constitutional scholar but a professor of it as well? Oh, well, never mind, that must all be force fed to him as well just like the teleprompter.

The fact that Obama is a constitutional scholar makes his decision to use tax payer moneys to bail out the auto industry in violation of the constitution's stated separation of powers particularly egregious. As far as the teleprompter issue, for him it's a prosthetic.

Agreed, and good of you to point out. I'd add that it's not the only violation of the constitution he supports.

sbk, what's the correlation between the use of a teleprompter and intelligence?

Maybe its just me then, that assumes those who harp on about the use of a teleprompter are calling into question his intelligence.

I just find the hypocrisy of it all very disturbing. Kinda reminds me of the red/yellow crap in Thailand. Each side more than willing to sling mud yet refuse to look at the glass house they live in.

Personally, I don't think Obama can save anyone. As long as people are willing to sit on their asses and do nothing and yet expect someone to fix problems (or sling mud without creating a solution of their own) then the US gets the system they deserve.

Frankly, the nastiness and negativity of the whole thing makes me wash my hands of not only the issues but the debate in total. Nobody is really willing to listen to anyone else, they are too busy scoring points and trying to prove how evil the other guy is, its all a total waste of time. Enjoy your little "debate" guys cause the truth is, nobody here is willing to listen to anyone else's point of view, just push their own.

And that is my cynical rant for the day. Don't worry, I won't sully your conversation any longer.

As long as people are willing to sit on their asses and do nothing and yet expect someone to fix problems (or sling mud without creating a solution of their own) then the US gets the system they deserve.

I would hardly call it sitting on their asses when the MAJORITY of Americans asked their elected representatives to vote NO to the bail out. They did as their constituents told them to do & voted NO. Then Paulson,Bernanke,Obama,Bush,McCain et al

Came forward & told Congress they do not want to see what they see & they, congress better go back & vote again<sic>

They that told Congress to change their constituents vote are all guilty of putting the country in a state of taxation without representation........

So a day or two later they go back & switch the vote...THE PEOPLES VOTE

So who's problem is it now? The people who instructed THEIR representatives of THEIR wishes? Or is the problem belong to those who cried wolf saying toxic assets needed to be cleared? Only to then again change the story after they put the American People in Debt to the tune of trillions?

People hardly sit on their asses but when the system breaks down as it has & continues to do so. What side of history will this president be on?

You are right though there is many similarities between the USA/Thailand's red&yellow.....Corruption

It took Bush 8 years to really screw the country up, Obama has been in office less than a year & yet some are expecting miracles to be performed. Seems to me Barry inherited a heap of problems created by previous administrations so some should try to accept that Rome wasn't built in a day.

It took Bush 8 years to really screw the country up, Obama has been in office less than a year & yet some are expecting miracles to be performed. Seems to me Barry inherited a heap of problems created by previous administrations so some should try to accept that Rome wasn't built in a day.

Perhaps but it seems to be going down the drain at a alarming rate under Obama's watch. While Rome was not built in a day the race seems to be how fast Rome can be destroyed. The citizens may not be willing to watch/let this occur

It is not the inherited problems that bother me most. It is the reversal on campaign promises...not that he is alone in that.

But Guantanamo? Afghanistan?? Economy??? Size & spending in Govt.????

It is not going without notice....

His inauguration.....

The protest yesterday over what has occurred since.....

It took Bush 8 years to really screw the country up, Obama has been in office less than a year & yet some are expecting miracles to be performed. Seems to me Barry inherited a heap of problems created by previous administrations so some should try to accept that Rome wasn't built in a day.

Boo, so many fell for Obama's "Change We Can Believe In" rhetoric. They actually believe Obama is the real deal, a representative of the people, an upholder of truth, a believer in transparency, a defender of the Constitution. The evidence abounds everywhere, Boo, that he is a chimera. It's not at all hard to find. Think about just this single fact: considering that this is the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression how many of the thieves have been indicted? None. How is that possible when the corruption is so disgustingly blatant? Goldman Sachs selling securitized rubbish while shorting it at the same time, as just a single example of countless?

People are starting to wake up, as evidenced by Flying's post above. 1.5 ~ 2 million people. Yet they are being called the "fringe" by the White House.

White House senior adviser David Axelrod said Sunday that the protesters, part of the "tea party" movement, do not represent the views of the broader public when it comes to health care reform.

"I don't think it's indicative of the nation's mood," Axelrod said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "You know, I don't think we ought to be distracted by that. My message to them is, they're wrong."

The deception continues. As one person aptly put it, "Hope You Can Eat."

It took Bush 8 years to really screw the country up, Obama has been in office less than a year & yet some are expecting miracles to be performed. Seems to me Barry inherited a heap of problems created by previous administrations so some should try to accept that Rome wasn't built in a day.

Boo, so many fell for Obama's "Change We Can Believe In" rhetoric. They actually believe Obama is the real deal, a representative of the people, an upholder of truth, a believer in transparency, a defender of the Constitution. The evidence abounds everywhere, Boo, that he is a chimera. It's not at all hard to find. Think about just this single fact: considering that this is the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression how many of the thieves have been indicted? None. How is that possible when the corruption is so disgustingly blatant? Goldman Sachs selling securitized rubbish while shorting it at the same time, as just a single example of countless?

Regardless of politics how long do you think it will take to turn 'the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression' around? Less than a year?

Regardless of politics how long do you think it will take to turn 'the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression' around? Less than a year?

Your grand children will not scratch the surface of re-paying the supposed cure/spending of this fiasco in future taxation's

Regardless of politics how long do you think it will take to turn 'the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression' around? Less than a year?

In my opinion there are too many variables and unknowns to be able to predict not only the duration of this crisis but what things will look like when we eventually come out the other side. Some argue that the correction will take as long or longer than the time it took to create this mess. That's only supposition in my book.

I do believe it will get much worse before it gets better. That opinion is derived from my observations of the continued game playing by both government and banks. Both are insolvent. The debt needs to be cleared first. Since neither government or banks are willing, hence the games. How long can they continue? They could conceivably drag things out for a decade . . . if events were all within their control. I'm not of the opinion that they wield as much control as they would imagine they have. Much depends on the masses and their ultimate response. Will they be able to experience a proper psychological shift which would produce a better future that is also sustainable? I pray so. But as long as money continues to hold greater value in the eyes of man than man himself I expect nothing to change in essence.

Time will tell.

Did Obamas administration cause this great depression then? Why is he expected to instantly resolve the problem AND deal with the people that were allowed to create the problem during the previous administrations reign?

Looks to me like some people are looking for a scapegoat & instead of giving this administration a chance to do something worthwhile they are far too quick to apportion blame & in the wrong place IMO.

Did Obamas administration cause this great depression then? Why is he expected to instantly resolve the problem AND deal with the people that were allowed to create the problem during the previous administrations reign?

Looks to me like some people are looking for a scapegoat & instead of giving this administration a chance to do something worthwhile they are far too quick to apportion blame & in the wrong place IMO.

I dont feel like that at all. I have no need of any scapegoats but I would like a administration to at the very least do something. I am not talking about running the printing presses 24/7 putting all futures at stake.

But what I do mean is that it has been 1 year since the crisis began. Yes a little less for Obama as Prez but he did sign the TARP into existence.

But in that time not 1....not a single 1 has been brought to justice. It is painfully obvious that they will never be brought to justice. Those that basically robbed the population. They will never be brought to justice for the very reason that the current Prez used as a campaign promise. Lobbyist hold the cards. Who was Obama's 2nd highest campaign contributor? Goldman Sachs so do we think we will see them under scrutiny any time soon?

It is failing here in the US on so many levels so quickly you need to be here to see it with your own eyes. If you are not yet here or are in LOS at this time do not expect things to be reported clearly. I have seen many administrations come & go but I have never seen media control like this. Then to top it off anything that does get scrutinized & slips out it is automatically called racism, Jeez......I actually thought having a black man & a woman duke it out for the Democratic presidential nomination was a big step & said perhaps America was soon to move ahead. Was I wrong.......soooo wrong.

So no I am not looking to blame personally or find a scape goat. What I am looking for is a country that has no taxation without representation & we have none now.....I am looking for a president that does something other than publicity tours...I am looking for a administration that does not use the problem (debt) to try & claim a solution

(more debt) is in the works.

Not instantly mind you but he has been in there 9 months & has not moved 1 inch towards the cause of the problem. He should shit or get off the pot because pretty soon folks will say get the hel_l out of the bathroom there are others that need to go.

Didn't he inherit a few more problems than just the economy? Has he not made any roads into those?

Didn't he inherit a few more problems than just the economy? Has he not made any roads into those?

You mean like his promise to close Guantanamo/Gitmo in his first week in office?...No in fact he protects it by refusing to release the pictures that would enrage the citizens & the world..Yet does not move to close it down not even 9 months after his 1st week in office.

Wars in Iraq & Afghanistan? No instead we build up

Unemployment?...Dont go there

Downsize govt?...Opposite

Banks? saved a few called too big too fail lost almost 100 that were probably honest banks compared to the protected few.

Nationalized a Car company defrauding the stock holders of a fair share during bankruptcy

What else is there? Perhaps it would be better to say what he has accomplished.....

You first

I'm not the one on the witchhunt, but I have a feeling that whoever went in after the last lot would probably be getting the same kind of slating.

My view is that major messes take a lot of time to clean & straighten up. I'm not prepared to start calling for Obamas blood just cause he hasn't waved a majic wand & made it all right in less than a year, especially after years of other people making the mess.

It's time to face facts.

The US system has gradually grown into corporation rule with strong elements of fascism and control state mechanisms, and it will be very difficult to change that fact except with a massive and violent overhaul which most people would not be willing to do, because it would in all likelihood not improve their standards of living, only their political and personal freedom.

Vote all you like but as long as the only candidates who can compete for top dog by necessity are either multi-billionaires or lapdogs for the same, how do you expect the country to develop in the future?

Most people are more worried about safety and food than they are about freedom. I see more of the same, and then more of the same. Until another fascistoid control state takes over. China. Yippee.. Not.

Did Obamas administration cause this great depression then? Why is he expected to instantly resolve the problem AND deal with the people that were allowed to create the problem during the previous administrations reign?

Looks to me like some people are looking for a scapegoat & instead of giving this administration a chance to do something worthwhile they are far too quick to apportion blame & in the wrong place IMO.

Boo, you are filled to the brim with hope!! Hope is merely the emotive experienced when you find yourself in a bad way. It is the precursor to that action which is designed to bring you to the place you hope for. If you place your hope for a better future for yourself in another, and that other willingly assumes the responsibility to bring about the required change for you then it is at least your responsibility to assess his actions and inactions accurately. While it's certainly proper to make allowances it would be improper to make excuses for obvious failings. Accepting excuses would be setting yourself up for great disappointment.

There is no one man nor one administration where the cause can be solely attributed. In fact, the people must accept their rightful share of responsibility as well. Obama, though, certainly has played his role in contributing to the malfeasance. He vigorously supported TARP, for instance, despite the fact that the people overwhelmingly, and I mean overwhelmingly, renounced the idea.

As far as dealing with the people who created the problem he has assembled his financial team which consists of many of the key players who were instrumental in breaking the barriers put in place long ago to allow for the rampant greed to flow uninhibited. Turbo Tax Geithner, Summers, Rubin, etc. Also, as I mentioned in a previous post Obama has stated early in his presidency that he wants to be forward looking as opposed to backwards looking. That statement in essence excuses every thief from ever being brought to justice.

I, along with Flying, are not interested in scapegoats. Neither of us, though, is willing any longer to accept blind faith in someone's words. Hitler had as much charisma and was possessed of great oratory skills as well. We are not so willing to be fooled by appearances and smooth talk. We are looking at Obama's actions, and lack of, and assessing them, rather than judging them, for what they are.

If a man drinks too much you can then assess him and state, "He drinks too much." It is not a judgement. It is an assessment which accurately describes reality. It is a true statement. Are we not allowed to assess our president without having to bear the unjustified and inaccurate charge by others that we merely wish to criticize and lay blame? Come, come now. If mere hope suffices for some it does not for others. I, for one, will keep my head out of the sand.