The Amateur

Spending your birthday in Hawaii is really fun.  The hotel has a beach with cabannas, and while checking out towels, I noticed a small library with some political books.  Are those for checkout?  Naw, just take 'em, I was told.  Those are books left behind and we just put them out for anyone.  So I found myself in possession of The Amateur by Ed Klein, the New York Times centrist.  A bombshell.  While reviewers have told about the revelations that Bill Clinton can't stand Obama and that Jeremiah Wright was offered $150,000 to shut up during the campaign, and Oprah was dissed by Michelle, the insights into both Barack and Michelle are gargantuan.  Klein wrote the book after interviewing 200 people--ardent supporters and those who don't like the Obamas--who knew them from way back, often 20 years or more. 

Obama is disturbingly narcissic, hence even though he is smart, especially concerning politics, he doesn't learn because he fashions himself to be infallible.  Numerous examples also show that he's not much of a manager or delegator, just thinks he can give a good speech and change everything, convince everybody.  But while he excells at quick acquaintanceship, he doesn't listen to people or empathize well and doesn't connect well--like Clinton or JFK or FDR did.  He doesn't inspire trust, is introverted.  Leads Klein to conclude that he doesn't have the temperment to be Prez.  But he is pure leftist and wants to be a transforming President.  Thus he keeps springing leftist surprizes on all of us, much to the chagrin of other Dems as well.  Klein even goes to lengths to point out how the media has drunk the Kool Aid and defends him in very unprofessional ways.  1. Can't govern, 2. Doesn't learn, 3. blames all his problems on everyone else but himself, 4. discards old loyal friends who aren't useful any more, (does this not explain how he can have impoverished relatives in Kenya and never send them so much as a $20 bill!) 5. thin-skinned. Klein compares him to a Democrat Nixon.

Here's some things I found interesting that you may not have read in the reviews of this book.  Klein and many historians and economists who have tried to advise Obama consider him a corporatist socialist akin to Mussolini.  Ha!  I've been saying this for years and it was good to hear that behind closed doors people smarter than I are calling him a fascist and worry about his dictatorship potential.

I found the stuff about his faith and Rev. Wright fascinating.  Is Obama a Muslim or a Nothing or a Christian or what?  Wright was his mentor, father-figure, pastor for over 20 years--7 years longer than he's known Michelle.  Here's what he says.  " 'Did you convert Obama from Islam to Christianity?' I [Klein] asked. 'That's hard to tell,' Wright replied.  'I think I convinced him it was okay for him to make a choice in terms of who Jesus is.' " Apparently Barack and Michelle aren't much for church attendance and what Obama has picked up is the political diatribe of Wright against whites and the rich.  Wright goes on to say that he thinks the only reason Michelle comes is because she wanted to be married in the sanctuary.  

Michelle is a hellcat.  Her brother has a quote about how everyone in his family is scared of her because she is so angry all the time and that the big worry every family member once had was that she would never marry because of her strong personality.  Apparently she and Valerie Jarret often rule the roost and are rude to those they don't like.  That's what happened to Oprah, Rahm Emanuel and many of the Jewish liberal leadership.

Obama is in deep trouble with his base because he is so untrustworthy.   He campaigned big on things like how he was going to change immigration policy but then never brought it up until he had to do it by fiat in an election year. Will Hispanics really trust him?  He calculated that Catholics secretly love birth control and abortion and so demanded that Obamacare pay for it, then had to backpedal in the face of Catholic opposition.  Will Catholics really trust him?  He bowed to Saudi King and dissed Nethanyahu and cut back on support for Israel, only to re-pledge loyalty to Israel in an election year.  Will Jews really trust him? He firedShirley Sherrod (USDA official implicated by Breibart piece) and then had to apologize.  Won't address black joblessness.  Will Afro-Americans trust him? So it is likely that his support among Jews will drop from 78% to 50, blacks 95%  but may not show up at polls this year,and Hispanics 75% to 60.

Since Obama sees himself as so messianic, his primary mode in campaigning is to character assassinate his opponents.  Loook for the dirtiest campaign in history this fall.  Oh, and Bill Clinton titled the book by his quote, "Barack Obama is an amateur!"