reactions to the Opossum King

Is Obama's Great Seal illegal?

The Weekly Standard:

Did Obama break the law?

18 USC Sec. 713 ...
(a) Whoever knowingly displays any printed or other likeness of the great seal of the United States, or of the seals of the President or the Vice President of the United States, or the seal of the United States Senate, or the seal of the United States House of Representatives, or the seal of the United States Congress, or any facsimile thereof, in, or in connection with, any advertisement, poster, circular, book, pamphlet, or other publication, public meeting, play, motion picture, telecast, or other production, or on any building, monument, or stationery, for the purpose of conveying, or in a manner reasonably calculated to convey, a false impression of sponsorship or approval by the Government of the United States or by any department, agency, or instrumentality thereof, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

(b) Whoever, except as authorized under regulations promulgated by the President and published in the Federal Register, knowingly manufactures, reproduces, sells, or purchases for resale, either separately or appended to any article manufactured or sold, any likeness of the seals of the President or Vice President, or any substantial part thereof, except for manufacture or sale of the article for the official use of the Government of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

Whether it's legal or not, it's ridiculous.

From NY Daily News:

Snarked John McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds, "I think we can all agree that we need presidential candidates that are serious enough not to play make-believe on the campaign trail."

"It's laughable, ridiculous, preposterous and revealing all at the same time," Bounds said.

The LA Times is downright snarky:

Just before the president of the United States makes an appearance at a speech, a usually tall, muscular person with a machine gun hanging under his suit coat quietly walks on stage and hangs the presidential seal on the podium front.

It's an impressive looking thing that conveys a sense of the power of the top elected office in the land and, indeed, the free world.

But Barack Obama's crowd has decided not to wait for any of the formalities like a presidential election, an inauguration or even a nomination, which he still hasn't actually officially won yet.

....

Some people might be inclined to make fun of a grown candidate who's against an imperial presidency but needs a really Great Seal before he even gets the official nomination. Maybe they'd suggest that as good as things look now from the city of big winds, maybe he's counting his eagles before they hatch.

A commenter on CNN:

Senator Obama, President wanna-be is going a bit far I think with his new campaign logo. His approval of this new "logo" tells this voter that he thinks he has it wrapped up, and has started packing his bags for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue! The Presidential Seal is unique in itself, and is reserved for the sitting President and NOBODY else!

To authorize a close facsimile of the Official Presidential Seal and to appear as a candidate in front of it, simply put is shameful to say the least! Senator Obama should know better!!!!

Commenters at The Confluence:

He’s not a presidential candidate.
He just plays one on tv.

(Response):

that’s it exactly. I feel like I’m stuck in a really long very sad episode of the West Wing. I keep waiting for Toby to call bullsh** on Obama.

From NRO:

I See Your Lapel Pin, and Raise You a New Great Seal

Audacity defined: Changing the seal of the United States of America and inserting the "O" logo for the American flag....

....

I pledge allegiance, to the flag, of the United States of Obamerica...

Still, when all is said and done, the LA Times IMNSHO gets the award for best comment:

The seal's also got a terrifically impressive motto in Latin -- "Vero Possumus" -- which means "The possum speaks truthily."

BAhahahahahaha! Ha! Ha! (OK now my sides hurt....)

Of course, the kids who think being President is all about having the coolest brand think it's just tops. They particularly like the eagle motif, and think it's just yet more proof that Obama is the coolest thing ever, that he came up with the idea of an eagle clutching arrows. And the Latin!

By the way, possums are why people in rural areas cling to their guns - mean nasty little things with their ugly little teeth, not something you want on your porch eating your cat food. (Or your cat.)

the blame game, Father's Day version

E.J. Dionne writes:

Will everyone dismiss Barack Obama's Father's Day call to responsible parenting as a simple political ploy?

After all, the man who would be our first African-American president is struggling for support from white working-class voters, many of whom have traditional views of family life and some of whom harbor deep suspicions about black men.

What could be more reassuring to them than his flat statement that "too many fathers ... have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men"?

No - Obama just likes blaming other people.

As long as he is talking about what is wrong with everyone but himself, people are looking at the flawed thing he's throwing blame at - and not at him. And really - what else could a guy in his position do, but hope that nobody looks at him?

Remember: the key thing is, if you lack a characteristic - like, say, responsibility - accuse other people of lacking it, and it looks like you yourself are the champion of that particular virtue.

We want politicians who will fix things, not give sermons. And we want to know how he intends to fix things. And, in the case of Obama, we want to know what he intends to fix. (I mean besides the election.) If he cares so much about men abdicating their responsibility, let him outline a plan detailing what he plans on doing about specific problems. Let us see what he intends to do, and how he intends to do it. Instead, he just says "trust me" - then says we are the ones not talking about issues when we point out that he gives every indication of being untrustworthy.

We especially don't need this idiot complaining about how immoral we are. Listening to Barack Obama lecture on morality is just plain disgusting - sort of like listening to Howard Stern lecture on how we all ought to have good manners, or listening to Don Imus complain that we're not nice to each other. We want politics who will talk about how they'll run government, not blame us for how we run our homes.

unity by insult

update: I am temporarily removing the question of whether and how much Obama is deliberately taking the party out on his way down. I want to write more about it later....



Wow.

I mean, unity sounds nice, but ultimately - I gotta hold my party responsible for allowing this loser to come and break it in half.

He pauses. He smiles slyly as the crowd begins to mumble and then he tries, somewhat distracted, to continue his remarks, smiling as the buzz spreads through the crowd.

He'll no doubt deny it later, but that mischievous smile seems to confirm plenty. And the crowd sure sees something. (LA Times)

And it breaks my heart. I just don't know how I'm going to vote...but I can't cast a ballot for someone who behaves like that.

Did Obama Give Hillary The Finger Today?

by Stuart O'Neill

April 17th, 2008 @ 5:12 pm

It’s appears that way to me. The timing, the gesture, the sheer passive-aggressiveness of the act, which would fit Obama’s passive-aggressive campaign, couldn’t be simply a habitual gesture.

Passive-aggressive. You know - that's just the term I was looking for.

update: apparently some people really believe it was just coincidence that he scratched himself that way. Coincidentally good timing, as he was slamming Clinton right at that moment.

I don't really think it changes the basic problem, which is that Obama's only response to his own lack of Presidential qualities is to relentlessly attack and destroy Clinton.

Personally, I have no doubt that the gesture was intentional (his audience certainly appears to have taken it that way).

The point I would make is - does Obama's behavior really suggest the man best fit to represent our interests in delicate international diplomatic situations? Or are we going to be getting lots of day-after sour grapes speechmaking?