As I recounted last month, I have been reading J.R.R. Tolkien’s The History of the Lord of the Rings. This morning, reading the third volume of that set, The War of the Ring, I chanced upon a passage (which the author would strike from the final text of The Two Towers) but which serves as much a rebuke of presumptive Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden as it does of the then-somewhat skeptical King Théoden of Rohan:
It is long since you have listened to tales by the fireside . . . , and in that rather than in white hairs you show your age, without increase in wisdom.
Here, Gandalf rebuked the aging king for doubting the truth of ancient tales.
Just as that good king doubted those old tales, Biden refusing to look at the evidence of his own eyes and learn from history. For over the thirty-six years of this Democrats service in the United States Senate, he has been so spectacularly wrong on nearly every key issue “dealing with foreign affairs and defense:”
- In 1979, he saw the “advent of the ayotallahs” in Iran as an advance of human rights.
- In the 1980s, he opposed Ronald Reagan’s “proactive policy” against the Soviets.
- In 1990, he voted against the First Gulf War in 1990.
- Most recently, he called General David Petraeus “dead flat wrong” on the “surge.”
If any one of those two was “dead flat wrong,” it wasn’t the general.
While the Delaware Democrat has criticized one of the most successful American military leaders in recent years, he has been much more yielding in dealing with Iran, America’s most aggressive adversary in the Middle East, leading Michael Rubin to comment in today’s Washington Post, “Obama picked Biden for experience, but he might also have considered judgment. When it comes to Iran, Biden could stare down dictators; too bad he blinks.”
Just as experience alone does not mean good judgment, gray hairs do not necessarily mean an increase in wisdom.
It’s says a lot about Barack Obama that he assumed they do when making his choice for Vice President. Better we should choose someone who has been right about so many international crises over the past quarter-century than someone who was wrong on nearly every key diplomatic issue since his first election to the United States Senate.
And in 2008, John McCain said you can’t get married or adopt, GPW. Oh wait: That’s still wrong.
[What does your comment have to do with the post to which you attach it? — Dan]
John Podhoretz brings up Biden and Israel, back in the day when Biden tried to blackmail Israel – there was a Prime Minister who stood up to Biden. Menachem Begin.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/26/clinton.backers/
Not that Americans should vote on what’s good for Israel, but it is interesting to see how defends the only democracy in the Middle east and who doesn’t. Who knows in 5 years we may be able to say confidently that Iraq is also a democracy in the middle east – but it won’t be because of Biden, but despite him
Obama & Biden?
It’s ‘Puff & Gruff†in Saville Row suits.
As for Michelle’s speech last night:
I’ll say this – the kids were cute.
That was the best speech delivered by a woman since Judy Garland (playing Ester Blodgett) walked on stage to collect her (fake) Oscar and announced “I’m Mrs. Norman Maine!â€
Of course, the crowd went wild with cheering and applause and there’s not a dry eye in the house. The only difference is: one speech was calculated for maximum emotional effect, playing to a fake audience, choreographed to the hilt and stage managed to perfection by professionals – and the other one was in a sappy Judy Garland movie.
Btw: is the daughter’s name, Sasha, the left’s version of ‘Dakota’ or ‘Brianna’ – or just a new/old version of ‘Susan’ or ‘Sarah’?
Personally, I’d have been more interested in the ‘unvarnished’ version of Michelle Obama. All gloomy and cheerless, talking about how America is unfair to women, how the deck is stacked against you, with enemies around every corner spreading lies about her and her wonderful husband.
Oops, that’s Hillary’s speech from 1992.
That’s what I like about Michelle Obama: just like my morning martini, she’s strong, cold, and slightly bitter – and leaves a nasty aftertaste.
Anyway, it’s nice to see Ted Kennedy’s illness hasn’t affected his appetite – for applause. But let’s give the old dog his due: other than him, how many far left liberals from Boston actually get to run for President only to wind up getting rejected by the voters? (Not including John Kerry. Or Mike Dukakis.)
You do the math-I’m drinking martini’s in P-Town.
Cheers!
“And in 2008, John McCain said you can’t get married or adopt, GPW. Oh wait: That’s still wrong.”
[What does your comment have to do with the post to which you attach it? — Dan]
Yes Torrentprime (not that I quite understood what your point was) but did you read the post. For all (“true”) Americans, the burning question of the day is who would Gandalf support. I have been perusing Tolkien and Jane Austin, George Eliot, and others for days trying to decide who to vote for.
In most of literature there are no easy answers, but it has been established that “that good wizard” supported the Iraq war. Why, why, don’t you address our ideas and not who you think we are? Please don’t respond with vulgarity, it will make “that gay conservative” upset. Despite his reticence in saying so, do you know that John McCain was a prisoner of war? Are you Un-American enough to doubt that this qualifies him to be president? Do you think think that questioning Cindy McCain’s theft of prescription drugs from a charity is anything but “hate America” talk?
[Brendan, thanks for giving me a smile on a busy day. Once again, I ask a critic, what does your comment have to do with the post to which you attach it? And sorry, Brendan, I’m not smiling because your comments are cute because they’re not. I’m smiling at how pathetic are your attempts at humor and the absurd things your insinuate about us, based (as I repeat ad nauseum) not on what we see but what you want us to have said to fit your stereotypes. Thanks for making me smile at how predictable some of our critics are. 🙂 Dan]
What does your comment have to do with the post to which you attach it?
I think it has something to do with the Democrat mentality, “How dare you think of things other than how someone panders to (insert identity-politics group here)!”
Examples abound, but my personal favorite has to be when gay and lesbian Democrats praise Cuba.
What does your comment have to do with the post to which you attach it?
I think it has something to do with the Democrat mentality, “How dare you think of things other than how someone panders to (insert identity-politics group here)!”
Examples abound, but my personal favorite has to be when gay and lesbian Democrats praise Cuba.
“What does your comment have to do with the post to which you attach it?”
I think it has something to do with the Democrat mentality, “How dare you think of things other than how someone panders to (insert identity-politics group here)!”
Examples abound, but my personal favorite has to be when gay and lesbian Democrats praise Cuba.
I think it has something to do with the Democrat mentality, “How DARE you think of things other than how someone panders to (insert identity-politics group here)!”
Examples abound, but my personal favorite has to be when gay and lesbian Democrats praise Cuba.
Well, this post is sort of on-topic, Obama Will Accept Nomination On a Stage Set Designed to Look Like a Greek Temple.
In other words, the Democrats have combined elitism, celebrity, and delusions of godhood into one iconic image.
And by sort-of-on-topic, I mean in the sense that it also pertains to mythology and Obama.
V… Is that little purple bit about Obama and the Greek temple supposed to be a link? Cus if so, it aint workin.
#1 HALLIBURTON!
Dan, It was the same with John Kerry, and for that matter, most of the Democrat party. Wrong on every foreign policy issue he’s ever voted on. Jimmy Carter supported the Ayatollahs, believing they would be good leaders that he could work with, “because they were religious”.
These ought to be things Republicans point out to people. I think they make a strong argument against Biden and Obama’s judgment. Yet Republicans didnt make the argument in 2004, and I doubt they will this time around.
What does your comment have to do with the post to which you attach it?
If you look at the things in the context in which Democrats do — “How DARE you consider anything other than how well he panders to (insert identity-politics group here)!” — it makes sense.
Examples abound, but my favorite is how gay Democrats and liberals praise Cuba.
But he rides the train to work and has a sexy full head of hair(?) transplanted from his arse.
Pardon?
4: I love the whole “elitism” label that is thrown constantly at the democrats – as if somehow all elected republican officials are just simple folk. Look at Bill Frist: He loved to portray himself as a some sort of simple country doctor, yet he was a Princeton graduate, has personal wealth of at least $15-45Mil, not to mention the family owned HCA which ended up paying $1.7Bil (that’s *billion* folks) in Medicare fraud. What could be more elitist that bilking the American taxpayer (and government) in the billions of dollars? However, he hit all the right hot button issues, such as a his impassioned claims challenging the diagnosis of Terri Schiavo, a person he never examined, and who was found in her autopsy to have the brain deterioration which her doctors had diagnosed for years.
People like Kennedy, Gore, Kerry, etc have never done anything to hide their family wealth (ala’ John McCain, who oddly enough seems to have absolutely nothing while family assets appear to be in his wife’s name to avoid public scrutiny).
I think back to a great line uttered by Derek Jacobi as the senator Gracchus in the movie “Gladiator”: “I don’t pretend to be a man of the people, but I do try to be a man for the people”.
I think between an ‘elitist’ (ie someone who has an education and works for the people) and people like our current President who has all the brains of Ben Stiller’s portrayal of the Simple Jack character from “Tropic Thunder”, I’m happy to take the former.
See if this link to Obama’s Temple works.
Oh look, it’s Kevin, crawled back for another thread.
But Jawn Karry’s wealth comes from his wife, just like Sen. McCain. Oh I’m sorry, wives. Funny how it’s the same way, they’re all hers.
And once again, the ‘Bush = idiot’ arguement. Funny how his grades are higher than Gore’s or Kerry’s and how this ‘idiot’ has become president, fought through two actual recessions, and hasn’t had one yet, Kevin and the media to the contrary.
Still waiting for Kevin to condem the FSF…
I think back to a great line uttered by Daffy Duck:
Here’s the deal, Kevin: Biden does “try to be a man for the people” who have funded his Senate career which he began at age 29.
Please return with a list of the landmark legislation he has served up. Show us his gold star chart of actions that have empowered truth, justice and the American way.
I won’t set the timer. You may google yourself silly without any stress of having to produce a single cogent thought.
I’m still waiting for Kevvie to back up his claim of Bush’s low IQ. If the man was so stupid, how has he been able to confound the terrorists, keep the economy afloat and turn the DNC into a lunatic asylum run by the inmates?
Let’s coin a new phrase: Drive-By Libtards.
Regards,
Peter H.
I have been subjecting myself to some of those speeches at the DNC. Here’s what really gets me, and yes this relates to Kevin.
One after another we hear these sob stories, of despondent people who are just waiting for government to solve their problems.
Where is the American spirit, where people face problems head on – and rise from poverty to riches, overcome adversity, rebuild after disaster. Oh yeah, they are all on the Republican side.
Any success story undermines the Democratic platform – you must remain utterly Dependant on government – or else!
I think Leah has the right take on the elitism…it’s not wealth the makes the Democrats elite, it is their conviction that they are the ONLY ONES that are smart enough to solve all the problems that everyone has and that gives them the right to govern all of us that are too stupid to handle life.
Agree with Hunter and Leah. It’s not the wealth, it’s the liberal-left conviction that “We know what’s best for everyone.”
I think George W. Bush is an elitist in that he takes a very paternalistic view of the role of government.
People like Kennedy, Gore, Kerry, etc have never done anything to hide their family wealth
Which demonstrates how inane the Democrat Party base is, given that it allows Gore, Kennedy, and Kerry to scream about how evil rich people are, how they don’t deserve their money, and how they should all be punished and forced to pay higher taxes — while Kennedy, Gore, and Kerry are all rich, got it by inheritance, and have never voluntarily paid more in taxes themselves.
Bluntly put, if rich Democrats really wanted healthcare for the poor, blah blah blah, they could pay for it themselves with their inherited wealth. Instead, they try to get into power so they can force everyone else to pay for it for them — and ironically, raise taxes on the very people they claim are “suffering”.
That’s not caring for the poor. That’s exploiting the poor as a coverup for their insane need to expand government power. The best example is how Barack Obama, while whining about people having poor housing, was accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in direct contributions and in discounted property from one of the very slumlords who was causing that poor housing.
Comment by North Dallas Thirty — August 27, 2008 @ 12:45 pm – betcha money on a dollar that it won’t be too many years that SS and medicare will be means tested.
#20 Great! Can my contributions be means tested too? I’ve no means to pay for someone else’s retirement (36 here) I’ve got to worry ’bout my own.