Obama and Israel
Bookworm on Mar 22 2007 at 1:50 pm | Filed under: Barack Obama
As you’ve guessed by now, I dislike and distrust Obama. I noted to DQ that part of my visceral dislike may be because I’ve never actually heard him speak, since I never watch political speeches, I only read them. Having read his speeches, I’ve come to the conclusion that, while his delivery may be impressive (I wouldn’t know), his content is not. I’m also unimpressed by his resume, which is minimal, but has enough stuff to assure me that, since he is one of the most liberal Senators out there, I don’t share any of his political views. And now Ed Lasky has prepared a very detailed article demonstrating that, if you’re a believer in the America-Israel alliance, as I am, Obama is probably not the candidate for you. Whether in the statements he’s made (many profoundly ignorant), the people he associates with and admires, or the positions he’s taken, his world view is a typical one for a liberal: blame Israel and assume that the side with the weaker military is also the side holding the moral high ground (yet another reason he proves himself to be intellectual weak, no matter how glib he is).
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Excellent post. I believe that it was Machiavelli who noted that the Prince should pay particular attention to appearances because everyone sees but few touch.
We would all be much better off if we didn’t watch the candidates incessantly. There have been cognitive studies showing that one’s immediate and visceral impression of a politician’s face preconditions our responses.
Compound our visual cognitive biases with selective media filtering, and it is clear that reading for content is the way to go. That, and perhaps judicious use of the web’s distributed intelligence (such as is found on this site).
By way of example, Bill Clinton’s lip-biting delivery used to infuriate me. It drowned out any possibility of my agreeing with him on selected issues — that was a problem with my bias. Upon more rational reflection, I still think his presidency was bad (especially foreign policy), but you have to give him credit where credit is due on other issues.
I think that Bush Derangement Syndrome is exacerbated by the way he talks. I have many friends who react allergically to his mannerisms (I live near Boston, never on friendly terms with the state of Texas). They confuse inarticulacy with unintelligence. If you actually read his speeches and policy prescriptions, they are quite clear and sophisticated in their aims. A communications professor has written a study of this media disconnect called “Bush’s War: Media Bias and Justifications for War in a Terrorist Age”. Among prominent academics, only John Lewis Gaddis has been brave enough to honestly assess the Bush administration’s “stategery”. (There may be others but not many.)
I too haven’t yet watched or listened to Obama. Guess it’s time to start reading those speeches.