Rahm Emanuel: These Are The Toughest Times Any President Has Ever Faced

Rahm Emmanuel took his leave today as White House Chief of Staff to begin his campaign for Mayor of Chicago (a position he may not be eligible for by the by).

He couldn't resist one of the Obama administration's patented overstatements.

Obama, he said, is "the toughest leader any country could ask for, in the toughest times any president has ever faced."

I'm in my (dear God how did this happen?) early, very early 40's and I'm not convinced these are the toughest time of my life. I was a kid in the 70's but the economy was just as bad, if not worse, we had just suffered twin blows to our national psyche with Watergate and Vietnam. And oh yeah, the Soviet Union was on the rampage around the world.

I get that the last two years have been very tough and the future isn't looking so hot either (though that was the case in say January of '81) but clearly a guy named Ronald Reagan faced a few challenges.

If you want to look at the broader picture, I could also mention someone named Abe Lincoln. I seem to recall him facing some tough times. Of course the Civil War couldn't have been so bad since Lincoln didn't take as many vacations as Obama has.

Speaking of Obama vacations, he's angling for another one.

(A)t Democratic fundraiser Thursday night, the president said, "I'd appreciate a little break." ... According to the pool report, Obama thanked Phillips for the work he and his wife have done for Team Obama. Then the president mentioned that Phillips and Douglass have an opulent place in Italy and wondered why there had been no invitation to visit. "I'd appreciate a little break and some Tuscan sun," the president said, according to the pool report. "Some pasta. I can use it."

The fundrasier was hosted by Linda Douglas a former reporter who was Obama's spokesliar about health-care. She's subsequently gone to work for The Atlantic Media, which employs insane conspiracy theorist Andrew Sullivan.

Obama and his team need to man up. They've been in office nearly 2 years, that's half the time the are going to get (hopefully). They need to stop whining and accept that yes, they won. They passed a massive spending bill, they've taken over health care and they are promulgating regulations. The nation's health isn't something that just happened, they have had a massive influence on it.

They need to stop acting like bystanders and stop flattering themselves that every damn thing is so 'unprecedented'.

posted by DrewM. at 01:05 PM

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