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I see is a big white square against a light gray background.

 

But can he dance?

 

With basso's magical word play I can't tell up from down right now.

 

Beyond the silly nature of comparing out of context quotes in order to paint a specific picture, that video is an illustration of a stark difference between people of different political ideologies in this country.

You see, I have no problem with what Obama said, and in fact I applaud it. I think admitting mistakes and pointing out flaws in yourself (or in this case your country) show much greater strength than not doing so.

I can only assume that the people who think that there is something to contrast in that video believe that commenting on one's flaws is a bad thing or a sign of weakness (it's hard to tell for sure since neither the video nor the OP actually made a comment). But that is not the mindset I want to have, that is not the mindset I want my children to have, and that is certainly not the mindset I want my representatives and the leader of my country to have.

So if somebody would like to explain the contrast and what interesting statement it's supposed to make I'd be willing to listen. But on its surface all I can see is an attempt to criticize the current President under the guise of false patriotism.

 

"Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." (Matthew 7:6).

 

I think Obama is a horrible president.

Of course I feel like he's following in the footsteps of a bunch of bad presidents who each seem to be striving to one up each other and reach a new level of horribleness.

Sadly, He's still got a ways to go to reach the horrible level reached by W.

 

I appreciate the response. This post is much more interesting than the video.

First, I'd say that I think Obama is doing what you want him to do, but just not to the degree that you'd prefer. I don't buy that he's "continually harping on America's failures", I think that's an exaggeration, but he is pointing out places where the country and its citizens (not always George W Bush specifically) have done things that in his estimation were mistakes. At the same time, though, he is not calling for or supporting prosecution of Bush or his administration for mistakes he thinks they made. That's his contribution to getting over "what Bush left him" and providing a united front to the rest of the world.

Secondly, I think there really is a disconnect between how you and I see patriotism. I don't see admission of failures as a denigration of America's history, I see it as laying the foundation for future success. I see it as a reaching out to the rest of the world. Instead of, "if you're not for us then you're against us," it's "let's work together for all our betterment."

Maybe you do agree with that and you just think Obama is playing politics and going after Bush specifically. That may be true in some cases, and I do tire of hearing about "the mess that was left for me" from him. But I think that's a separate issue from the quotes in the video and how Obama presents himself and the United States to the rest of the world.

 

^ same old same old, when outgunned, outmanned, and outclassed, appeal to the lowest common denominator by questioning your opponent's patriotism

GREAT NEWS FOR JOHN MCCAIN!

edited for hilarity:

instead, he's politicizing american foreign policy in a way the none of his successors ever did.

Spoiler

 

Actually, I think it is specifically important to discuss (again, I don't think he is dwelling) these things in front of foreign audiences. Again, admitting one's own mistakes is a sign of strength, not weakness. Here, Obama is representing the United States and we are admitting our mistakes to other countries. It's not a political tactic, it is a diplomatic tactic.

I don't know if you've noticed, but there have been calls by many liberals to investigate the Bush administration for crimes they may have committed, but to my knowledge Obama has refrained from supporting those calls. To me, that is his way of standing behind the country and not piling on when there is no benefit for the country to do so.

I bolded that statement above because I think it is key. It seems as if you think that the content of Obama's speeches during his trip abroad was directed by political motivations. I don't see it that way. If you assume for the sake of argument that he (and his team) chose his words with the knowledge that nobody from the United States would hear them, do you still have the same disagreement with the content?

 

Fair enough, you think it's political, I don't. You think he's apologizing for Bush, I think he's making a larger point.

Of course, that's why I asked the hypothetical question. I'm curious if your objection is purely based on that difference in perspective or if you would object otherwise.

 

yeah, none of those stupid Euros or mooslims have those new fangled tvs or enternets access, except when an american president is doing something you don't approve of

 

he will never understand this concept, just look at the way he disappears from his own threads when he has clearly been proven wrong. he's still smarting that we left vietnam for god's sake.

edit: america's strength isn't and never has been in the concept of we are always right.

 

Passing a $3.6 Trillion dollar budget in less than 70 days of his Presidency which is 3 times the budget W had last year...He's on his way!

 

Nice discussion b/n uolj and Basso. I tend to side more towards Basso side on this. I don't really like to hear OUR president calling us arrogant, whether he's right or not.

By the way, Sam, your pointless jabs at all things on the right are just as tired as most of Basso's thread titles.