1 September 2011 –
What are we to think of the gaffe du jour coming from President Obama’s White House? The facts are straightforward:
1) President Obama wants to give a speech in the well of the House of Representatives to a combined session of Congress on a jobs initiative/program/strategy for the nation; but, he keeps his intentions for both the jobs program and the venue and date of the speech until the last minute.
2) He picks the date and the time of the speech to coincide with Congress’s first day back from summer recess, but also, it is the exact date and time of the long-scheduled Republican presidential debate.
3) The President’s staff leaks the particulars of the request to the press before the Speaker of the House—the official who would host the event and, therefore, have the authority to accept or reject the request—has a chance to respond officially.
4) Now in the public eye again, the Speaker of the House delivers a written response to the President claiming that logistical, procedural, and security concerns—most probably arising from the 7th being the first day after the summer recess that the House is back in session—would make it difficult for him to accommodate the 7 September request. As an alternative, the Speaker offers the 8th as an alternative—unfortunately,heh, heh, the night the NFL kicks off it 2011-1012 season on television.
5) Hacks and pundits from both sides of the political battlefield begin their expected recriminatory volleys.
My comment on each fact:
1) This is not the first time President Obama has held policy strategizing and public announcements close to the vest and then released his intentions at self-immolating times. Remember when he announced just a few months ago that he would recommend that negotiations for a final peace and the recognition of a Palestinian state start from the pre-1967 war borders of Israel? Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, in rapid response, eviscerated the President on live television from the White House meeting room and then chopped him up again to the roars of a supportive U.S. Congress during a speech in the House well. Not a smart move. You would think that someone on his enormous staff would have advised the President heartily to coordinate a bit more with friends in and out of government before making such a significant statement at such a vulnerable time.
2) It is understandable that 7 September is a good date for such a major speech. The first day back from recess is a good time to introduce to Congress a program the President wants to emphasize for the next session. The President could acquire momentum in the fight for control of the national agenda by speaking before Congress in a nationally televised speech. But, why was there nobody on his enormous staff that warned of the vulnerable situation the President would put himself in by asking for something the Speaker of The House would never agree to? The key to the President’s incredible gaffe is putting himself in a situation where somebody else—somebody on the opposite side of the political battlefield—has the power to crush the President’s initiative even before it gets started? There is no way the President could not look shallow, foolish, and politically inept by asking for that date to give the speech. Of course the Speaker would not give permission to use the House as the venue on a date that competes with the Republic presidential aspirants’ debates—long-time tradition of granting such permission notwithstanding. I am sure that if previous presidents had picked such politically foolish timing to address Congress, this would not have been the first time permission would have been denied. What an ill-conceived initiative and request! Just as bad for the nation, what hubris flows from his desk and from his staff that they think that they could actually get the date approved!
3) How much effort would it take to line up the enormous White House staff on the South Lawn and horse whip them all? Did they not see that by leaking the particulars of the President’s request before the Speaker had a chance to formally respond, they were only increasing the control the Speaker had over the outcome of the situation and opening the White House up to the guffaws and ridicule of all the President’s enemies? What is worse, it shows again to independents that the President’s decision-making skills may be severely limited. My experience on senior military and political staffs taught me a valuable lesson. The purpose of a staff is to protect the President from his enemies and, if necessary, to protect the President from himself. In this case, the President’s staff doomed the initiative before it could even begin and only magnified the nation’s shoddy view of their boss. Off with their heads!
4) I don’t know exactly what Speaker Boehner was thinking when he crafted the written response to the President’s request. I do feel, however, that his response was as gentle and as professional a response as was possible under the circumstances. It would indeed have been difficult to get the members of Congress all together the evening of the first day back from recess. Therefore, all the reasons the Speaker alluded to in his return letter were legitimate. Most important, it was a far gentler way to tell the President no than to castigate him for trying to upstage the Republican presidential debates by announcing to the nation a jobs initiative that even Democratic members of Congress know nothing about. An incredible opportunity to reveal the President’s foolishness was handed to the Speaker. He used it deftly and professionally. None of the foolishness stuck to the Speaker. Another bad moment for the President: I don’t think the President’s remarks are going to reduce the NFL’s ratings either. In fact, speaking on the 8th, as the White House has agreed to do, puts the President into another vulnerable situation that he cannot control. First, he has shown himself to be less important than the Republican aspirants’ debates. Second, he will have shown himself to be less important than a football game. He has done this to himself. His staff has enabled him. I am hard-pressed to disagree with what he has shown himself to be.
5) Yup. A lot of electrons are flying over a lot of screens because of the President. Yup. It is an easy day to write about politics. Most are.
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